When You Least Expect It
by Kariana Kusanagi
Summary: Chapter 10 up! FINALLY! KurtOC AU My first XME fic R&R (On Hiatus)
1. Default Chapter

Author's Notes:

This is a collection of stories from me, Kariana Kusanagi. Melanie is my own original character; any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. This is an alternate universe, so Kurt is single in these stories. If there is bashing to any celebrities in these stories, don't take it personally.  Okay? 

Kurt:  Yeah.  All the chicks dig the fuzzy.

(All others groan)

Scott:  Dude, that's corny, man.

Me:  Well, could be worse.

Kurt:  Yeah, I could be doing the disclaimer.

Me:  *puppy eyes*** **Would you, Kurt?  Please?

Kurt:  Okay.  Kariana doesn't own "X-Men: Evolution" at all.

Me:  Thank you, Kurt!  Here's a Klondike bar.

Scott:  *sings the tune* What would you do for a Klondike bar?

(Everyone rolls his or her eyes)

Scott:  What?

Me:  Anyway, R&R these stories, okay?  Sit back, grab some popcorn, and read

        "Melanie with the Fuzzy."

Bobby:  That's when Melanie meets Kurt.  Aww, the two little lovies.

Kurt:  Shut it, Drake!

Me:  Well, Anywho, enjoy the stories.


	2. Melanie with the Fuzzy

Melanie with the Fuzzy

By:  Cece Williams

((Disclaimer:  I don't own "X-Men:  Evolution" at all or the songs that are listed in here.  I do own Melanie, my OC, and my own mind.  AN:  This is my first "XME" fanfic, so be kind.  If the other characters act a little funny, don't hold it against them.  Some Britney Spears bashing, NOT for Britney fans!  Also, in this universe, Kurt's single, by the way.  R&R!))

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Melanie Portman had never experienced anything like what she was feeling; she controlled the water of the Thames River from flooding.  Some said it was a miracle, but others said that a mutant was among them.  And they were right … to an extent.

Her parents were more shocked than relieved that their only daughter was still alive.  _I guess they just don't care about me anymore,_ she thought to herself.

The doorbell rang, springing her from her thoughts.  She heard her butler, Michael, walk downstairs to answer it.  Melanie peered outside her door, her green eyes looking towards the front door.  Outside was an older man in a wheelchair, who seemed to strike a conversation with Michael.  _What is he talking to him about?_ she asked herself.  She saw the front door close and the two men entering a room.

Curious as a cat could ever be, Melanie walked cautiously downstairs, her two-inch sandals making not much noise on the carpet.  She had a towel wrapped around her shoulders and a wrap around her hips; she was about to go swimming.  Michael came up behind her and told her that he would tell them that she had gone swimming.  Nodding, she headed for the pool.

Somehow, the guy in the wheelchair sensed that she was at the pool already.  Melanie didn't know what to think, she wasn't going to let some guy worry her.  She took off her sandals, threw the towel casually on the chair, and dove in the deep end, staying under for a few seconds before rising.

Meanwhile, the guy in the wheelchair introduced himself as Professor Charles Xavier.  He told the girl's parents that their daughter was a mutant.

"But that's insane!" her mother exclaimed.  "Melanie's never been able to control water!"

Her father, on the other hand, looked at the Professor warily.  "Both of us don't have this 'X-gene' as you call it," he replied.  "What makes you so sure that my Melanie has it?"

Back at the pool, Melanie looked up and saw Michael looking at her.  "Miss Melanie, your parents wish to see you," he said to her.

Part of her wet reddish-brown hair hung in her face as she pulled it back with her hand.  "Okay, give me a few minutes," she said, getting out of the pool.  She wrapped her towel around her chest and pulled her sandals on her feet.  She walked, with Michael at her side, to where her parents were sitting … and also where the guy in the wheelchair was sitting with them.

"Father, Mother, what is this about?" she asked them.

"Melanie, this is Professor Charles Xavier," her father said to her.  "He's going to take you somewhere so you can control your powers."

Her eyebrow raised, she turned to the Professor.  "Just what powers are you talking about?" she asked him.

"Your ability to control water," he answered her. 

Her hand went to her chest.  "What?" she asked.  "Sure, I love swimming and all, but controlling water?  Doesn't that seem a little farfetched?"

"Farfetched, yes, but not impossible," the Professor answered her.

Those words stuck with Melanie as she was escorted to the X-Jet after she packed her things and left her home in jolly old England.

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The next day, the Professor called a meeting.  "Everyone, we have a new student with us," he said.

A boy with blue eyes and hair sat in his seat on his feet with impeccable balance.  "Vell, vhat's she like?" he asked in a German accent.

An older boy with red sunglasses popped the German boy upside his head.  "Kurt, what makes you automatically think it's a girl?" he asked him.

"Call it a hunch," Kurt answered, shrugging while the others simply rolled their eyes.

A girl with her brown hair in a ponytail looked at him.  "So, like, what's this person like, Professor?" she asked.

"She's really shy right now, so just make her feel welcome here," he answered.  He looked back at the doorway with gentle eyes.  "It's all right."

A girl with green eyes walked in.  Her reddish-brown hair was just barely past her shoulder blades, and her bangs covered her forehead to almost her eyebrows.  She wore a lavender cardigan, denim capris, black sandals two inches high, and a black choker.  She raised her hand and waved slightly.

The girl with the brown ponytail walked over to her.  "Hi!" she said to her.  "I'm Kitty; what's your name?"  She held out a hand to her.

She looked at her.  Maybe she could fit in well here.  "Melanie Elise Portman," she answered her, shaking her hand.  "Melanie or Mel works fine."

"As in Mel Gibson?" she asked.

"Not even close," she answered her as the others walked over to her.  "Big group you guys have."

"See?" Kurt told the boy with the red sunglasses.  "I told you it vas going to be a girl, didn't I?"

Melanie looked at the one in the red sunglasses.  Before she could ask, he answered her untold question.  "I'm Scott, and this blue haired knucklehead here is Kurt.  Don't worry; he's harmless."

"I'll have to be the judge of that," she answered.

"So, vhat's your power?" Kurt asked, looking curiously at her.

Melanie looked around at everyone.  "I don't know; I might hurt someone," she said to them.

  Protests came to her faster than a double decker bus in London.  "Please tell us" and "Please show us" came to her ears.  Finally, she sighed.  "All right," she said.  She closed her eyes and felt herself melting.  The only thing that was left of Melanie was a puddle of water.

"What just happened?" Rogue asked.  "Did she just melt or something?"

Melanie's voice shocked them all.  "Not necessarily," she answered from her watery form.  "You see, I can turn myself into a puddle of water and…" She started taking her human form again.  "…Reform myself.  Not only that, but …" She pretended to hold a teacup in her hand.  "I can make a nice spot of tea."

Everyone started laughing, even Melanie.

"So, like, you can turn into water?" Kitty asked, mystified.

"Yeah, just don't step on me, okay?" Melanie answered, smiling.  She was feeling a little safer around them all.

Another round of laughter filled the room.

"So, all joking aside," Scott said, walking up to the new girl.  "Your power is liquidation?"

"That and I can spray blasts of water from my hands," she answered.  "Depending on my mood, it ranges from cold to hot … really hot."

After a few more minutes of getting to know her, all of them were excused to do whatever they wanted, because that day was a Saturday.

Kitty showed Melanie her room.  "Like, I hope it's okay with you," she said to her.  She brought her mouth close to Melanie's ear, adding in a whisper, "If you need anything, Kurt's right next door."

Melanie blushed.  "Kitty…" she hissed.

She smiled.  "Oh, don't worry," she said and before Melanie had another word in edgewise, she left her room by walking through it.

Melanie blinked a few times and dropped her suitcase on her bed.  The rest of her stuff was going to come in later that day.  _I can't believe it,_ she thought to herself.  _It's only been a day and I'm already homesick._  She sighed, sitting on her bed.  "I'm so bored," she said out loud, leaning her head against the pillows.

A poofing sound came from the foot of her bed; she sat up and almost fell off her bed to the sound of Kurt's voice.  "Hi, Melanie," he said, sitting on the edge of her bed on his feet.

Melanie held a hand to her rapidly beating heart.  She took a deep breath and looked at his human form.  "Kurt, you scared me," she said, surprised at how he was sitting on her bed.

"I heard you zay vhat you vere bored," he answered her.  He looked at her with his blue eyes.  She still looked a little scared, but not that much.  "Vell, I vanted to ask you if you, you know, vanted to, maybe ve could go out to a party or something."

Her green eyes shown with enthusiasm at the word "party."  She loved them when she was in England, although she had to dress up.  "The rest of my things hasn't arrived yet, Kurt," she answered.  "So, I'm afraid I don't have a decent outfit to wear."

"You could vear vhat you have on," he answered her.  "Please, Melanie; staying here on a Saturday isn't veally healthy for you."

She let the thought soak in for a while.  Maybe getting out of the mansion would help clear her thoughts.  She looked back in Kurt's eyes; they looked like they were pleading with Melanie.  She smiled, nodding her head.  "Sure," she answered, almost making Kurt fall off the bed from shock.  "Just tell me what I have to wear."

"Vell, ve don't have to vear anything vancy at all," he answered her.  "Vhat you have on is all vight."  He stood to his feet and touched the holographic inducing watch that Scott told her about.  Instead of seeing the normal looking boy, she saw a guy with blue fur, yellow eyes, and a spaded tail, definitely nothing like the Kurt that she was introduced to.  "Sounds like something from a horror movie, doesn't it?"

"No, Kurt, I've seen worse," she answered, grabbing his furry shoulder, a smile plastered on her face.  "Believe me, you haven't seen worse until you've seen Britney Spears in red spandex."

Kurt shook a little at the disturbing thought.  "Vhat's probably vorse," he said, smiling at her.  "I'll veet you downstairs in a vew minutes, Mel."  With that, he teleported out of her room.

Melanie smiled; Kurt was one cute guy, although he had blue fur and everything, but still cute nonetheless.  She dug into her bag and found her compact.  She put on a small coat of powder and grabbed her lip-gloss.

After a few minutes, someone knocked on her door and Kitty phased herself through it.  "Mel, come on," she said, wearing her normal outfit.  "Like, Kurt's about to poof up here or something."

"Okay," she answered, walking down the stairs.  Trying her hardest to mimic Kurt's German accent, she added as she passed him, "Vet's party!"

Jean, who had heard her accent, smiled.  "Melanie, I think you and Kurt are going to be so cute," she said, her long red hair flowing behind her.

Melanie couldn't help but overhear Bobby's little joke, "Kurt and Melanie, sitting in a tree…" She cut him off, saying, "Bobby, get a life."  She got in the car, sitting next to Kurt, obviously back in his holographic human form.  Jean rode alongside Scott, who was in the driver's seat, and Kitty sitting next to Melanie.  "Are you girls sure you two will be all right back there?" he teased.

Kurt laughed, wrapping an arm around Melanie's shoulders.  "Yeah, they can't resist the fuzzy dude!" he joked back, making the others laugh.

They arrived at the place where the party was.  Jean and Scott went on ahead, Kitty, Melanie, and Kurt walking in behind them.  Before Melanie could ask Kitty for advice, she was gone.

"She probably sinks vhat Bobby sinks, too," Kurt explained as the music came to their ears.  It was something that he could probably dance to, but he wasn't sure if Melanie could dance.  He tapped her on the shoulder.  "You know this song, Melanie?"

She smiled, nodding her head.  "I have this song burned onto a CD back at the mansion," she answered, her green eyes glittering.  She started singing the Japanese lyrics to herself; unluckily for her, Kurt heard every word she sang.

"Vhat's pretty," he said to her.  "But vhat does it mean?"

"'Koori no Naifu WA Daite'," she answered him.  "That means, 'Embracing the Ice Knife'.  It's a Japanese song."  She looked at Kurt, who looked mystified.  "What?  Did you think that just because I'm British, then I only listen to Elton John, the Beatles, and the Spice Girls?"

"I'm not implying vhat," he answered.  "It vust shocked me, vhat's all."

After a few seconds of silence, they asked each other, "Do you want to dance with me?"  Melanie and Kurt looked at each other, shocked.

"You do?" Melanie's question came out first.

Kurt's answer shocked her even more than her question.  "Do you?"

"Obsession" started playing, and Kurt grabbed her hand before she could have a chance to answer.  Both were hoping that no one was watching them.  Although it was a short song, they could help but start blushing until it was over.  They ran over to the wall.

"And you thought Germans couldn't dance," Kurt teased her.

"I wasn't implying anything," she answered, fussing up his blue hair.  They leaned against the wall and watched as Scott and Jean were dancing to "Through the Night."  They looked at each other and laughed at the scene before them.  Evan was still trying to get Kitty to dance with him, but she kept refusing his advances.

During the song, Kurt looked at her while Melanie was singing another song that had started to play only a few seconds ago.  It was from Garbage, one of Rogue's favorite groups.  He couldn't believe it; Melanie even liked Garbage.  _She's one strange girl,_ he thought to himself.  Trying to break the silence, he asked her, "So, vhat are you planning to do vight now?"

Melanie shrugged.  "I don't know," she answered.  She felt someone grab her shoulder; she turned her head and saw him.  "You know, I should have brought a camcorder; seeing them dance was priceless."

"Yeah, but them taping us vould be even more priceless," he countered.

She smiled at him slightly.  Her ears perked up, hearing a very familiar song that she hadn't heard in a long time.  "Can you believe it?" she asked him.  "I'm getting homesick after a day."

"Vhat's normal," Kurt answered.  He looked at her; he didn't need Jean's powers to look into her mind.  "You miss your home?"

She shook her head slightly.  "Not much," she answered, looking at the floor at her sandals.  After a few seconds, she added, "Okay, maybe a lot."  She squinted her eyes shut, trying to bottle up her emotions.  "It just hurts a lot."

"You know vhat?" he asked her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.  "Maybe you need to lie down vhen ve get back home."

"I'm fine," she answered, although when she opened her eyes, she didn't look fine at all.  "It's just been a long trip from London."  She heard another song play, this time the one from _The Bodyguard_.  "I just need to loosen up, that's all."

"How about vhen a vast song starts playing, ve veally get jiggy wit it?" He asked her, trying his hardest to bring that smile on her face again.

She smiled a little.  "I think ve can do that," she answered in her horrible Kurt imitation.

He laughed at her attempt.  "Melanie, you need a vittle more work," he answered her.  He listened for a fast song; it was an oldie, evidently one that Melanie knew all too well.  He laughed as she began to sing a little of the song "Build Me Up Buttercup."

She ended up tickled, to the point that she couldn't sing it.  Since they had both drank three Vanilla Cokes apiece, they were going to dance it off.  Kurt grabbed her hand and led an embarrassed Melanie to where Scott and Jean were.  Jean saw that both were so full of Vanilla Cokes that they were singing it off-key.

"I see Melanie's made a new friend already," Scott said, laughing at the bizarre way Kurt was dancing with her.

Melanie didn't hear over the music, but she knew they sounded whack after that episode.  "I guess I know firsthand that Germans can dance," she teased him.

"Yeah, and I know zat a certain British girl likes vis song," Kurt teased back at her.  "I think ve're going to get blackmailed for a long time if vis gets out."

Melanie couldn't help but laugh.  "Who would even think of doing that?" she asked.

After the song was over, they left to the wall again.  "I told you veeded to get out of ze mansion," Kurt told her.  "You're getting better alveady."

"Thanks for the idea," she answered him, smiling.  "This is the first party I've been to where I don't have to dress up."

"Vell, get used to it," he answered her.  "You still digging the fuzzy?"

"Whom else would I dig?" she answered just as soon as the rest of the group started to leave.

As soon as everyone got in his or her rides, Melanie almost fell asleep on Kurt's shoulder.  Scott looked in the backseat at the sight and muttered an "Aww…" from his mouth.  "That's so cute."

Kitty couldn't help it.  "Like, Kurt, did you wear her out?" she teased.

"Vhat can I say?  She digs the fuzzy dude," he answered, shrugging his free shoulder since Melanie had made herself comfy on the other one.

They got home, and after Kurt 'ported himself into Melanie's room, wrapped the blankets up to her shoulders, and 'ported back out to his room, he went to sleep.  The next morning, Kurt woke up to a fit of laughter from downstairs.  He looked at his clock.  "Ah, man," he grumbled.  "Eet's only six in ze morning."  Sleepily, he 'ported into Melanie's room close to her bed.  "Hey, Melanie," he said, shaking her shoulder.  "Vake up, sleepyhead."

Melanie yawned and turned around, opening her eyes.  Seeing Kurt, blue fur and yellow eyes, in her room made her almost fall off from shock.  "Kurt, what's going on?" she asked him, finally catching her breath.  She also heard the laughing from downstairs.  Before she had a chance to wake up, Kurt had grabbed her hand and 'ported them to the common room.

A series of "Aww's" and "Look at them's" came from the couch, where they saw a tape of a guy and a girl dancing together.  By now, Melanie was wide-awake; the two looked very familiar.  "Kurt, that's us," she whispered to him.

He was now wide-awake as well.  "Vhat?" he asked.  "How did they tape us?"  He looked at Evan, who had just turned around.

The others heard two people shout, "Let's get him!"  They laughed when Melanie tripped him up and Kurt 'ported on top of him, pulling him to the floor.

Melanie smiled; maybe staying at the Institute wasn't going to be so bad.

"Okay, everyone, get suited up for the Danger Room!"

Or maybe not, she thought.  She walked back to her room.  If the Danger Room would help her powers, she was going to try her hardest to fight with them.  As expected, Kurt was her partner.  She smiled again.  Staying here was going to be a pleasure, even if she did have to fight.

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((Well, that's the end of my first one with Melanie.  Send me a review, please?  I crave for those things about as much as I love chocolate.))


	3. A Secret Worth Revealing

A Secret Worth Revealing

By:  Cece Williams

((Disclaimer:  I don't own "XME" but I own Melanie.  AN1:  This takes place during the episode "Impact."  It aired on August 30, 2003.  Thank God for Closed Captioning.  AN2:  Kurt's single in this universe, and it's the summertime.  Yay!  Anywho, hope you enjoy it.))

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Melanie was lying on her bed in her room, reading a _Seventeen_ magazine near the horoscopes.  Her green eyes skimmed through the page until she found her zodiac sign.  "'If you have pressures on your mind, dear Cancer, then today will be the day'," she read to herself, brushing a strand of reddish-brown hair from her face.  She sighed but was startled to hear a poofing sound.  Getting off of her bed, she walked down to where Kurt's room was, next door, and knocked on it.

"Kurt, are you all right?" she asked in her normal British accent, looking to see Kurt sitting on the bed looking at something.  She opened the door a little more and saw a statue in the middle of his floor.  The look on the statue's face made her scream, which also made Kurt almost lose his balance.

Kurt stood to his feet, walking to the doorway.  "Melanie," he said, almost startled.  "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"What do you mean, _I_ almost gave _you_ a heart attack?" she asked him, her green eyes as wide as the statue's.  "What is that?"

Kurt's yellow eyes looked into Melanie's and he sighed, leading her into his room.  "Melanie, whatever you do, please don't freak out," he answered her, sitting on the edge of his bed.  He was about to answer her question when an all-too-familiar person wearing dark clothes and short deep red/white hair stood in the doorway, looking at the statue with pure hatred in her dark eyes.

"You dare bring that thing back into this house?" Rogue's voice screamed, mainly at Kurt.  Melanie had been sitting on the edge of the bed as well, looking at Rogue with confusion in her eyes.

"Rogue, she can't hurt us anymore!" Kurt countered, causing Melanie's eyes to follow the person's voice.

"Speak for yourself!" Rogue said, turning around and facing the door.

_Oh, no,_ Melanie thought, sitting on Kurt's bed, _don't tell me there's going to be another argument._  The tone of Rogue's voice literally told her not to get involved.  Not that she wanted to be, anyway.  She watched as Rogue literally lashed out at Kurt about something.

"I know you have every reason to hate her; so do I," Kurt countered, getting off the bed and walking to Rogue.  "I mean, look what she's done to us."

The next words shook Melanie to the bone.  "But still, she's our mother."  _Mother?_ Melanie thought.  _That statue is Kurt and Rogue's mother?_  Her eyes grew in shock at Rogue's response.

"Either you get her out of here, or I will!"

Melanie's heart was thumping inside of her chest.  How could Rogue have so much hatred for that "mother?"  What had that woman done?  She left her questions unasked, as she didn't need to get involved with their fight.  After Rogue left, she couldn't help but ask herself why did she have to hear that?

"Kurt," Melanie's tender yet confused voice snapped him out of it.  "Is it just me, or do statues cry?"

He looked at what she was talking about.  From the way it looked, the statue _was _crying.  "I think you're right," he answered, holding one of his hands on the statue and Melanie's arm with the other.  Then, he 'ported them to another room.  Mr. McCoy and the Professor were in the room with them as they tested Melanie and Kurt's theory.

"I'm sorry, you two, but it was probably just condensation," Mr. McCoy said glumly shaking his head.

"What?" Melanie asked in disbelief, a hand to her heart.

"No; there was something more than that," Kurt objected.  "I know it."

"Nothing's changed, Kurt," the Professor added to Mr. McCoy's answer.  "Even if by some mere miracle that she is still alive, we can't tap into her, let alone restore her to her original form."

"It was her own morphing ability backfiring against her," Mr. McCoy finished his diagnosis.  He put a hand on Kurt's shoulder, while Melanie held onto his other arm gently.  "There's nothing we can do."

Kurt brushed his hand away, looking defiant.  "I am not giving up!" he declared, 'porting out of the room with Melanie.  He ended up 'porting them back to his room again.

"Kurt, I believe you," she said as she let go of his arm.  "If she were my mother, I wouldn't give up on her, either."

Kurt looked at Melanie, his yellow eyes almost full of shock.

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help you," she continued, a tender look on her young face as she placed one hand on his shoulder, the other on her heart.  "I'm always going to be by your side."

That spurge of hope filled his eyes.  "Thanks, Melanie," he answered her.

"No problem," she answered, smiling at him.  "Now, you have any ideas, or do we have to brainstorm on this one?"

"I think I know the place," Kurt answered after a few minutes of thinking.  He grabbed Melanie's hand.  "Hold on."  Before she could answer him, he 'ported both him and her out of his room.

They then found themselves near the Brotherhood.  Well, almost, actually.  He had teleported her into the woods, just barely enough for her to see the house.  "This is your plan?" she asked him in a whisper.

Kurt pulled one of his furry fingers to her mouth, silencing her.  "Wait here," he told her, 'porting out of her sight.  He 'ported himself to a window, seeing a familiar face.  "Wanda!"

Her answer was a blast to knock Kurt off the windowsill and to the ground.  He landed with a thud on the hard ground.

Finally ignoring Kurt's order, Melanie ran out to him.  "Kurt!" she said, kneeling next to him.  "Are you okay?"

"Never better," he answered her.

Wanda looked outside at the two mutants.  "You've shouldn't pop in front of people like that!" she told him.

"Yeah, it's annoying," Kurt and Melanie said in unison, standing to their feet together.

"But I need to ask you a favor," Kurt continued.

"What?" Wanda asked, staring mainly at Melanie.

"Please, can you arrange a meeting with Agatha Harkness?" he asked.

Wanda's face softened a little, looking at Kurt.  "All right," she answered.

Another hour went by, and Kurt and Melanie, along with the statue of Mystique, Kurt's mother, were in the gazebo overlooking the ocean.  Kurt was pacing worriedly inside it while Melanie sat on one of the railings, looking out towards the path to the gazebo.

"Kurt, stop pacing like that," she said, her green eyes looking at him.  "You'll wear a hole in the floor."

"I can't help it," he answered her.  "What if she doesn't show up?"

"She will," she answered him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "It could be traffic problems, you know?  That could be why she's a little late."

Kurt was about to answer her when he looked out and saw a cloaked figure walking towards them.

Melanie smiled at him.  "See?  Told you she'd show up," she said.

"I was afraid you wouldn't show," Kurt said to the cloaked lady.  She placed her hands on the statue.

Melanie jumped off the railing and stood beside him, showing her support for the blue fuzzy elf.

"Well, can you help her?" Kurt asked pleadingly.

She took off her hood and Agatha looked at him.  "No…" she began.  Looking behind them, she added, "But she can."

Kurt and Melanie looked behind them.  It was Rogue.

Agatha then began explaining that Rogue was there to "end the torment," in her words.  "If your mother is alive, only you can save her.  Rest your hand against the stone, and absorb the mutation."

Melanie's eyebrows rose in confusion and concern.  "Huh?"

"Hold on, now," Kurt popped in, waving his hands in confusion and concern.  "Is it even safe? What if she -"

"A moment's all it will take," Agatha answered him.  "It will free Mystique long enough for her to use her own powers."

Rogue looked mystified, an unlikely emotion on her usually dark face.  "You're serious?  I'm the only one who can save her?"

Kurt looked up at her.  "Rogue, it's the right thing," he said to her.  "You know it is."

"No, I … I won't do it," she said and started to storm off only to have Kurt stand in front of her.

"But if you don't help her, this will haunt you for the rest of your life," Kurt countered to her.

Melanie looked at Kurt.  She could see that he was determined to help his stone statue of his mother; either that; or he looked like he was pleading with her, whichever came first.

The next move that Rogue did freaked her out.  Screaming, Rogue shoved the statue out of the gazebo, heading for the rocky cliffs.  Adrenaline kicking in, Melanie slid down the wall of rock, shouting, "I'm on it, Kurt!"

Kurt saw the stream of reddish-brown hair fly down the cliffs.  He 'ported himself to a ledge; unfortunately, it was the wrong one.  The statue was where Melanie was.  Before he could shout out a warning, the statue knocked itself at her ribs.

Melanie heard a few cracking noises and gasped in horror as she saw the statue break and disintegrate.  She fell down the rest of the way; the last thing she saw was Kurt's face, his wide yellow eyes filled with shock and possibly horror at what had just transpired in front of him.  "Melanie!" he choked out.

A stray piece of the destroyed statue hit the left side of her head near her temple before she landed sharply on the sand.  That knocked her out; her eyes closed as her head lulled to her side.

Kurt, his adrenaline running through his veins, 'ported himself down to the sandy stretch of land and saw the disintegrated statue.  The sight that horrified him more was Melanie.  Her reddish-brown hair covered part of her face, her left arm was bruised up, and she didn't look alive.  He ran over to where she was and knelt next to her.  "Melanie?" he asked her, turning her head to face him.  He saw another injury he missed; the top left side of her head was bruising, and she was bleeding from that.

He looked up and saw that the other two had walked off.  He looked back at the unconscious girl and 'ported them back inside the mansion, in the infirmary.  When the Professor saw them, he looked at Kurt.  Mentally, he asked him, "Kurt, what happened?"

"Melanie … she's not moving," he answered telepathically.

Mr. McCoy looked at Kurt, who was still holding Melanie's lifeless form.  "Follow me," he said, walking to a table.  Kurt 'ported both Melanie and himself to where he was supposed to go.

After Kurt laid the girl on the bed, the Professor grabbed his shoulder.  "I'll let you know when we're done," he said gently to the blue German.

Kurt nodded, walking out of the room, his yellow eyes filling with tears.  He was too upset to catch them as they fell down his face.  "Melanie, please be all right," he said to himself, looking in the window on the door like a little child wanting a puppy in the pet store window.

"What about Melanie?" a familiar voice asked from behind him.

He turned around, seeing the youngest in the X-Men, Jamie, looking at him.  "Oh, Jamie, it's just you," he said.

He saw the saddened look in Kurt's yellow eyes.  "What's wrong, Kurt?" he asked him.  "Where's Melanie?"

Without a word, he pointed at the door behind him.

"Melanie's in there?" Jamie asked him, his voice rising in shock.  "Is she going to be okay?"

"I … I don't know," Kurt managed to answer, trying to hide the fact he was crying.  "I wish I knew right now."

"What happened to her?" Jamie asked him, and as Kurt gave him the story of what had happened, his eyes grew wide, as he always thought of Melanie like she were his older sister.  "Oh, my God.  Kurt, I'm so sorry, man.  Just remember, we're here for you, okay?"  Emphasizing his point, he created several copies of himself.

Kurt nodded; smiling although the sheer thought of losing Melanie was killing him inside.  "Thanks, Jamie," he answered.

He nodded.  "Man, I saw Melanie in several missions before," he said.  "She's one tough cookie, and I don't mean one of Kitty's cookies, either."

"You didn't have to remind me," Kurt said, leaning against the wall.  "She still wants me to taste more of her cooking."

All five Jamies rolled their eyes.  "I know what you mean," they all answered at one time before joining himself back together.

They stayed outside the door talking for another couple of hours until the Professor wheeled back outside.  "We managed to stitch her up," he started before meeting their eyes.  "But she's not out of the woods yet."

"Is she going to be all right?" Kurt asked him.

"She's in critical condition right now," he answered.  "You can see her, but she's still unconscious; there's no telling when she'll wake up after that fall she took earlier."

"How bad off is she?" Jamie asked him.

"Six broken ribs, four sprained, she broke her left arm and twisted her right ankle," he answered the younger boys.  "And she still has that concussion.  She's beaten up pretty badly."

Jamie put his hand on Kurt's shoulder.  "You should go in and see her," he told the blue boy.  "I'll let the others know what happened."

Nodding, he walked up to her bedside and sat in the chair next to her bed on his feet.  Despairingly, he looked at her.  She had a bandage around her ribs, her left arm and her ankle in a cast, and there was a bandage around her head.  She looked pitiful, and he knew it.  He didn't want to see her in this condition any more than the other way around.  "Melanie," he said, brushing her bangs from her eyes.  "I had no idea this would happen to you."

A knock came on the wall, and Kitty phased herself through it.  "Jamie told me…" Her voice stopped as Kurt turned around and she could see pain in his eyes.  "Kurt, is she going to be okay?"

"I hope so," his answer came from his choking throat.  "It should be me in that bed, Kitty."

The answer shocked her; there was only one reason why Kurt would act that way, especially towards a girl.  "Kurt, you sound like you're…" She held a hand to her mouth, almost realizing the truth first-hand.  "You sound like you're in love with her."

"What?" he asked her.  "No way; you've got it all wrong."  Kitty shrugged, telling Kurt that she was going to bed.  After wishing her goodnight, he turned back around at her.  "You just take care of yourself, okay?"  After that, he 'ported back to his room and got ready for bed.  After lying down on his bed and closing his eyes, he went to sleep.

He was sleeping soundly until he was rudely woken at 3:00 AM, according to his clock by his bed.  "Kurt, come on, man," a warbled voice called his name.

Sleepily, he answered, "If it's any more of Kitty's cooking, I'm not tasting."

The person raised his eyebrow and shook Kurt more.  "Kurt, I'm not telling you again to wake up," he said, finally pulling him off of the bed by his tail.

After his eyes opened, he saw a face.  "Scott, you pulled my tail again!" he said, standing up.  "What's the big deal?"

"It's about Melanie," he answered.  "She just slipped into a coma."

"What?!  Melanie's in a coma?!"

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((Man, what a bad way to end that story, huh?  Well, don't worry; the fate of Melanie's life is in the next story.  R&R, please?))


	4. Almost Gone

Almost Gone

By:  Cece Williams

((Disclaimer:  I don't own "XME" but I do own Melanie.  I really don't feel like explaining myself twice, so you know what to expect.))

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Now Kurt was definitely wide-awake.  His mouth dropped open in surprise as he 'ported to the infirmary.  "Where's Melanie?" he asked the nearest person.

"She's right here," Jamie told him.

Kurt saw that the younger boy was crying, the tears falling down his face.  They saw that her situation hadn't improved; it only worsened, to their horror.  It was the last thing he wanted to see; he didn't want to see her giving up.  "I thought she was getting better."

"So did I," the Professor said, wheeling up to the two boys.  He looked at the ailing girl.  "I don't think there's anything else we can do for her."

The words shot through Kurt's heart like an arrow through an apple.  The same words he said about his statue mother.  Remembering that Melanie hadn't given up on him earlier that night, he was going to do the same for her.  "I'm not giving up!" he declared, 'porting himself to her bedside.  "Not on you, Melanie; not by a long shot," he added to her comatose form before falling asleep.

Suddenly, a thought came to him when he woke up three hours later.  He remembered when Melanie had told him that when things are looking down, then he should pray.  "Well, this is my last resort," he said to himself, looking at her innocent face.

Rogue, unbeknownst to Kurt, looked into the room, a look of unknown shock on her face.  Melanie was now in a coma because of what she had done.  "I almost killed someone," she said, starting to walk off.  "I hope she'll make it."

Back in the kitchen after everyone had heard the heartbreaking news, Kitty sat in a chair, resting her head on her arms, trying to block her tears from falling, but her powers kicked in, causing them to fall through her arms.  Jean and Storm just lowered their heads.  In the common room, Scott and Evan sat on the couch, deathly silent.

Finally, Kitty broke the eerie silence in the kitchen.  "Melanie and I were, like, sisters," she said, drying her blue eyes.  "She could probably die tomorrow, and we can't do anything about it."

Jean looked at her.  "She still is a sister to all of us," she said.  "Being in a coma doesn't mean that you're dead."  She sat in the chair next to her and wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders.  "Melanie's going to make it; you'll see."

"She has to," Kitty said, leaning her head on Jean's shoulder.  "She just has to make it."

The younger students were all in the same state, but Jamie was the worst off than the rest of the team.  He stayed in his room after he had delivered the horrifying news and heard a sober song playing on the radio, one of Melanie's favorites called "How Do I Live".  The tears came from his eyes, but he didn't care if they fell.

Back in the infirmary, his yellow eyes closed, Kurt began a desperate but heartfelt prayer.  "I know I'm not a praying person, but my friend, Melanie, is lying here, and she could either wake up or slip from us," he began, the tears coming to his closed eyelids.  "Show some mercy and bring her back."

In the kitchen, Jean heard Kurt's prayer in her mind.  "Kurt's got a good idea," she said.  She asked Storm to sit next to her, and all three ladies held each other, saying a group prayer, the tears falling from each of their eyes.

That night in his room, Kurt was in a troubled sleep.  In his dream, he was reliving that night right to its last detail.  He dreamed that the statue had hit her in the chest instead of her ribs.  She ended up in his arms, beaten severely and barely clinging to life.  After she had mouthed his name and closed her eyes, he screamed, sitting up in bed, breathing heavily.  He looked around and realized he was in his room.

Kitty heard his scream and phased through the door.  "Kurt, are you okay?" she asked him.

He looked around in the dark for a light.  Finding his lamp, he turned it on and met Kitty's eyes.  "Oh, Kitty, it's just you," he said, relieved.

"That's, like, not a very nice welcome," she said.  "What happened?"

"I had this dream," he answered, raising one of his three-fingered hands through his hair.  "Melanie was … she was…"

Kitty's face turned from concerned to understanding.  "It's just a dream," she told him.  "Melanie's just in a coma."

"Maybe you're right," he answered, his breathing back to normal.  As Kitty left his room again, he sighed.  "I just hope it doesn't come true."

Alternating between school, the Danger Room, and homework, everyone became concerned about Melanie and they wanted an update.  For an entire month, the Professor only said three words:  "There's no change."

One night after all the students had gone to sleep, although they really didn't want to, the Professor was about to leave the infirmary when he heard a little mumble coming from someone.  He looked at Melanie and smiled; she was starting to wake up.  He wheeled to her bedside, seeing the young girl struggle to open her eyes.

After a minute of struggling, an image finally came to her eyes.  A fuzzy image of a bald guy came into view.  As she focused, she saw his face clearly.  "Professor?" she asked, her voice constricted with unknown pain.

"I'm right here," he answered her; the beeps of her monitors still sounding weak, but they were getting stronger little by little.  "Melanie, do you remember what happened?"

She looked around with sleepy green eyes.  "The last thing I know happened was something hitting me…" She stopped.  Then, it literally hit her.  "Kurt!  Is he okay?" she asked him, starting to sit up, only to wince in pain.

Logan had heard her voice; he walked in and laid her back down gently.  "Elf's doing okay," he said.  A rare emotion came to him; he smiled.  "Though you did worry him."

"Oh, no," she answered, her mind racing.  "The statue, it…" She felt tears come to her eyes.  "He'll never forgive me."

"You shouldn't worry about that right now," the Professor told her, running a hand through her hair, which was a little tangled.  "You should be getting your strength back; you missed some crucial exercises in the Danger Room."

Melanie smiled.  "I know," she answered, closing her eyes again.  "I'll have to make it up when I can…" She drifted back off to sleep before she could finish her sentence.

Logan looked at his watch.  "It's only six in the morning, Charles," he said.  "You want me to wake up Elf boy?"

"No, I think I should tell everyone all at once," he said, wheeling himself out of the infirmary and to the common room.  "Storm, you wake the girls; Logan, you round up the guys."

They nodded, and after twenty minutes, they finally had everyone downstairs in the common room.  Everyone was still wearing his or her nightclothes, looking sleepy.

"Students, I have some news for you," the Professor said.

Kitty yawned, and so did several others.  "Could it, like, wait until breakfast?" she asked.  Others mumbled their agreement, or disagreement because of her cooking.

"It's about Melanie," he answered, and as soon as he said that, everyone was wide-awake.  Jamie and Kurt were sitting next to each other, the others with their heads lowered, each thinking of the worst-case scenario; Melanie finally gave up.

"Enough with the suspense," Jamie said, breaking the uneasy silence.

Kurt raised his yellow eyes up at him, hoping to whomever Melanie believed in that it wasn't the bad news.  "She's not, you know…"

"Melanie's finally waken up," the Professor answered.  "She's going to pull through; she's going to be in a lot of pain, but she's going to make it."

The students all started cheering; Jean and Scott hugged each other, most of the younger students started dancing, Kitty included, Evan and Kurt slapped high-fives and smiled, but Rogue still looked down.

"Rogue, what's wrong?" Kurt asked her.  "Aren't you happy that Melanie's going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm ecstatic," she answered.  She looked at Kurt.  "Can I talk to you somewhere private?"

"Sure," he answered, 'porting himself and Rogue into Melanie's bedside in the infirmary.  He looked at her.  "What's up?"

Rogue looked around and saw that Melanie was still resting.  "Kurt, I almost killed Melanie," she answered, looking into Kurt's shocked yellow eyes.  "I didn't know that she was going to try and stop the statue from breaking.  I'm sorry, and I can understand if you don't want to forgive me."

A very familiar voice answered her, "I forgive you, Rogue."  They turned around and looked in surprise as Melanie opened her eyes in front of them.  "I'm not angry at you," she continued, looking at them.  "I even feel that way about my parents, shoving me out of the home I've loved for so long, but I guess that if they hadn't done that, I wouldn't have made so many friends like you two."

"But I almost got you killed," Rogue protested.

"That doesn't matter," she answered, taking her gloved hand.  "Think of it this way; it's better this way than having to see me on that rainy day."  She smiled, even with the bandage on her head.  "And that's not going to happen anytime soon."

"Maybe we should let Melanie get some rest," Kurt interrupted.  "Besides, Mel, you gave us quite a scare."

Rogue sighed; Melanie had forgiven her after all that she had done.  "Well, since Melanie's up, I'll leave you two alone," she said, starting to walk off.  She stopped when she heard her name.  She looked back at Melanie.  "Yeah?"

Melanie smiled again.  "Go with peace in mind," she answered.

Rogue smiled and walked away, heading back to the elevator that took her to the mansion.

Now that Rogue had gone, she laughed.  "Hey, funny elf," she said.

Kurt rolled his eyes, smiling.  "That's 'fuzzy elf'," he corrected.

"I'm sorry I worried you…and the others," she said, smiling.  "At least I got away from Kitty's cooking, huh?"

Kurt laughed; she was almost back to normal.  "Yeah, you did," he answered.  "Although a whole month was a little too much."

"I was out for a month?" she asked, surprised.  "Jeez, I only thought I hit my ribs and my head."  Her eyes looked away from him.  "You know, Rogue shouldn't be the one apologizing; that should be me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I tried to stop…your mother from those rocks, but…" She stopped, trying to stop the tears that came to her eyes, but failing miserably.  "It's all my fault."

"No, it's not," he answered, making her freeze.  "At least you're alive; that's all that matters, Melanie.  Nothing else."

She looked back at him, smiling although the tears still fell from her eyes.  "Kurt Wagner, for a minute there, I swear you were flirting with me just now."

"This coming from a girl who nearly got herself killed trying to save my mother," Kurt answered, smiling.  "Then ends up in a coma for a month and pretends nothing's wrong."  He looked around and then back at her.  "Melanie, if I were flirting with you, I'd do this."  With that, he kissed her just shy of her lips.

Blushing, she giggled.  "Oh, that tickles," she answered.  "Told you I'd dig the fuzzy dude."  She gave him a wink.  "Just do me a favor."

"Anything," he answered, hoping it was something he could do.

Melanie looked around with her green eyes; when she realized that they were alone, she answered, "Well, it's really two things," she answered.  "One, please no Britney Spears videos…"

"That's easy; just don't watch MTV," Kurt answered her.  "The second?"

"Whatever you do, don't forget my birthday," she teased.

"Oh, that's already in my planner," he teased back at her.  "I'll have to keep that day clear…definitely."  Both started laughing, an emotion neither one felt for a long upsetting month.  They heard a teasing voice say, "Kurt and Melanie, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…"

Kurt was about to go after the voice, but Melanie stopped him.  "Don't worry about that," she told him.  "We'll get him back when I get out of here."

"Speaking of which, should we tell the others what we talked about?" Kurt asked her.  After a minute, both said, "Nah."

Another week went by, and Melanie was well enough to move back into her room again, much to the relief of the team, mainly Kurt.  Melanie still had some pain in her ribs, but her arm, ankle, and her head felt better; although she still had to make up the sessions in the Danger Room, Kurt told her that he would help her out.  Not that she had a problem with that.

She was listening to one of her burned CDs in her Discman, reading a mystery novel.  As she bobbed her head to the music while reading the interesting book, she heard a poof in front of her, almost scaring her.  "Hey, Kurt," she said, taking off her headphones and turning off her CD player.

"Hi, Melanie," he answered.  He was in his holographic human form and he was sitting at her side.  "How are you feeling?"

"Although the Professor's giving me ibuprofen, which is a good thing," she answered, smiling.  "I'm doing good; he said that I should be back on my feet in a couple of days, but I shouldn't overdo it, you know."

"That's great," he said, and just as soon as he said that, his holographic inducer went crazy, changing him back into his blue fur.  "I've got to talk to him about this thing."

Melanie laughed.  "Oh, don't worry about it," she answered, lightly pinching his furry cheek.  "Besides, blue is one of my favorite colors."

Beneath his fur, Kurt blushed.  "What's the second?"

"Green," she answered, pointing at her eyes.  "Isn't it obvious?"

He looked at her CD player, seeing it was the same color as her eyes.  "I see that," Kurt answered.  He looked around and saw that everything was put where she wanted it.  "Got settled in, didn't you?"

She nodded.  "Yeah," she answered.  "I still miss England, but this is a nice change."

"I've got a present for you," he told her, 'porting himself to her dresser, sitting on it.  Clearing his throat, he started singing, "'Why do you build me up, buttercup, baby…'"

As he continued to sing, Scott looked inside and, sneaking behind the blue fuzzy boy, covered his mouth with his hand.  "Kurt…" he started.

Melanie started laughing.  "Oh, that was the funniest thing I ever heard," she said.  "Oh, and Kurt, by the way, my birthday's not for another several months."

Poofing to the edge of her bed, Kurt looked at her.  "Now you tell me."

Scott couldn't help but laugh.  "I know you're trying to impress Melanie and all, but, Kurt…" He shook his head.  "No on the singing, man."

While Kurt glared at Scott, Melanie laughed harder.  "Oh, I didn't seem to mind that at all," she answered him.  After Scott left, she pulled Kurt next to her.  "You just need to practice more, that's all."

"I intend to," he answered, smiling.  He was about to sing when he saw her face.  She was beaming.

"I'm going to like you helping me get better," she said, laughing again.  "But do me a favor, and don't pick a song really high for you."  She winked at him, smiling.

"Okay, how about…" Kurt thought for a few minutes.  Then, he started humming "Fur Elise", sitting next to her on her bed so she could hear.

She giggled.  "That's pretty good," she said, leaning her head against the pillows again.  She was going to like this.

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((Well, time to R&R again.  The next story's synopsis:  Why do Melanie and Kurt want to talk to each other?  And what does it have to do with Amanda?  Read the next story.  Catch you later!))


	5. Hard to Say Three Words

Hard to Say Three Words

By:  Cece Williams

((Disclaimer:  I don't own "XME" at all… oh, screw it.  You already know that I don't own the show.  Melanie's my original character, so you can't have her.  AN:  This is after "A Secret Worth Revealing" and "Almost Gone."  Anywho, if it's a Kurt/OC romance you like, you'll probably be in for a treat.  R later, all you Kurt fans!))

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It had only been two months since her fall to her almost death and one since her return to life.  Melanie looked out her window and saw an attractive picturesque of the view from her second-story balcony.  The leaves were changing colors; red, yellow and orange leaves in display, the colored leaves falling from the trees like little raindrops to the earth, and the sun was shining its big, yellowish-orange face against the brightly colored leaves.  Melanie sighed; she had seen little things like that back home in London, but never seen it as beautiful as she saw it now.

Melanie was only in her light blue pajamas and gray fuzzy dolphin slippers, her long reddish-brown hair in two braids.  She yawned into one of her hands, which she usually painted her fingernails blue, but for some strange reason, she had painted them almost like they were chocolate.

After taking in the scene, Melanie walked to her closet and pulled out a humble-looking outfit; a pair of flared jeans, a lavender cardigan, her black boots, and her black choker.  Fortunately for her, the boots weren't really high, only three inch heels.  She changed clothes quickly, and then pulled on her sliver earrings.  She looked in the mirror in her room.  Staying at the Institute brought some color back to her face and a smile that she barely knew she had.

Soon after that, she put on only a little bit of makeup, just a little powder and a soft red lipstick.  She undid her braids, brushed her hair, and looked at her bedside clock:  only 7AM.  Smiling, she grabbed her books, shoved them into her backpack, and turned off her alarm, which was blaring.  As soon as she turned off her alarm, she heard a knock on her door.  "Melanie?  Are you up?"

She looked up and, slinging her backpack on her shoulder, walked to the door, opening it to reveal a very familiar face.  "Morning, Storm," she answered.  "I'm already up."

Storm looked at Melanie, a concerned look on her face.  "Been up talking to your parents?" she asked her.

"No, not really," she answered, smiling.  "You know my father; he's probably too busy to talk to me anyway.  Besides, it's a long-distance call, and I don't think he'll like me racking up the charges here."

"That's understandable," Storm answered.  "What time did you wake up?"

"About ten minutes ago," she answered.  "I've never been able to see a sunrise like that back home.  Big Ben was always in the way."

Storm laughed.  "Yeah, well, lucky for you, you don't have to worry about a large clock blocking the view," she replied.  "Just a bunch of trees."

"I don't have a problem with it," she answered her, raking a hand through her wavy reddish-brown hair.  "Is everyone else up?"

"Logan's up, as usual," Storm answered.  "The Professor's up, too, along with, let's see…" She counted on her fingers and shrugged.  "Other than you and me, that's pretty much it."

Before Melanie could say anything further, she saw a door open and a red-haired girl walked out.  She looked at them.  "Good morning, Storm," she said.  Looking at Melanie, she added, "You're up early."

"Well, you know, I'm an early bird," she answered.  She saw the redhead yawn.  "Jean, did we wake you up?"

"No, I'm fine," she answered.  She looked at them and she started walking down the hall.

"I'd better get the others up," Storm told her.  "See you downstairs."  With that, she walked down the hall.

Melanie sighed again, and just as she was about to close her door, she heard a poof noise from behind her.  "Kurt, glad to see you're awake," she said without turning around.  "If you weren't, I would've grabbed you by your ear again."

Kurt rolled his sleepy yellow eyes.  "Glad to see your humor's back," he answered her as she turned back around.  "Feeling any better?"  He yawned into one of his three-fingered hands, blinking once.

"Yeah," she answered.  "The Professor's been very lenient towards my Danger Room make-up.  He told me to take it easy until I was up to par with everyone else."

He looked back up at her, glad that she was physically all right.  "Did he say when you'll be back on the team again?" he asked.

"No, not really," she answered.  "For my sake, I hope he doesn't kick me off or send me back to London for what I did."  She was about to bite her bottom lip when Kurt said her name.

"He's not going to do anything like that," he answered, meeting Melanie's green eyes.  "I wouldn't know what to do if that happened."

She turned away from him, closing her door.  "I'm sure you would've thought of something," she answered.  Giggling, she added, "Oh, and I'd turn on the inducer if I were you; can't go off scaring people, right?"

Kurt laughed; she was getting back to normal.  "Right," he answered, switching on his inducer, which turned him from a blue guy with fangs to a normal looking guy.  "How's this?"  He waved his arms in a "ta da!" fashion.

Now, she laughed openly.  "Now, you got to change clothes," she answered, starting to walk downstairs.  "Meet you in the kitchen."

Watching Melanie walk off, he said, "Okay, fraulein."  He 'ported back to his room and changed from his pajamas to his normal outfit.  After grooming himself, he 'ported behind the British beauty.

"Nice to see you too, Kurt," Melanie said without turning her back.

Kurt smiled.  "You sure have gotten used to me 'porting near you, haven't you?" he asked her.

Melanie turned around to meet the blue-haired German's eyes.  "It's a habit I know you can't break," she answered him, winking at him.

Scott shook his head and put a hand on Kurt's shoulder.  "Man, she's just teasing with you," he said.

"I know that," he answered.  He looked at Melanie, who had struck a conversation with Kitty, who seemed to really enjoy her company.  "She's just that kind of girl."

"Well, if you like her so much, why don't you ask her out?" Scott asked him, his eyebrow raising.

Kurt blushed; this time because of his disguise it was visible.  "Scott, Melanie and I are just friends; that's all," he answered.  "I mean, what if she says no to me?"

"What makes you think that?" he asked his friend.  "She's definitely got a crush on you; that's probably why she hangs next to you like a puppy."

Kurt laughed.  "She's not a puppy; she's a nice girl," he answered him.  "Not to mention good-looking," he added, bringing his blue eyes up to the British girl.  "And fun to be around."

"So, why haven't you set up a date?"

"A date with who?" Melanie's voice broke through the conversation.

The two boys looked at her.  "Oh, hey, Melanie," Scott said.  "We were talking about some other girl that's single."

Raising an eyebrow, she shrugged.  "Okay," she said, almost dejectedly.  She grabbed her backpack and looked over her shoulder.  With that, she looked at them and left the mansion.

School seemed to drag on and on and on.  After her six period Public Speaking class, she seemed oblivious as she walked to the parking lot.

"Okay, Kurt, here's your chance," Bobby, another of the team, said.

Nodding, he made his way to her car, an American Jeep.  He saw that Melanie was just about to get in the Jeep, so he had to act fast if he wanted to ask her.

"Melanie?" she heard a voice from behind her.  "Can I talk to you for a minute?"  It was Kurt, which kind of shocked her.

"Sure," she answered, getting in the Jeep while Kurt got in on the passenger side.  "What's up?"

"Well, Melanie, I've been thinking," he began.  "Since we've been friends for almost four months; well, three because of that coma you were in…"

"Go ahead and make it four," Melanie interrupted.  "The coma counts."

"Okay," he continued.  "Well, anyway, um, are you doing anything tonight, by any chance?"

"No, not really," she answered.  "Why are you asking?"

"Well, I was just thinking that since you don't have any plans and I don't either, then we could go somewhere, uh, together…"

"Kurt," she interrupted him again.  "You're asking me out, aren't you?"

Blushing, he nodded.  "Yeah, that would be it."

"I'd love to," she answered, smiling half shyly, half relieved.  "I would really like that, Kurt."

While Kurt was talking to Melanie in her Jeep, he gave the others a thumbs-up, which made them cheer for him.

"Kurt's got a girlfriend!" Bobby chanted, only to have Scott cover his mouth.

"Cut it out," he said.  "Kurt just wants to date Melanie, not that that's a bad idea, but maybe Mel will open up to him a little more… literally."

Back in the Jeep, Melanie looked back at him.  "Well, where did you have in mind?" she asked him.  This time, she was blushing; for some strange reason, she didn't know.

"I don't know," he answered.  "Anywhere you have in mind?"

Melanie shrugged her shoulders.  "Well, there's a really good movie in the theater tonight," she answered.  "It's called, um, I know the name…" She snapped her fingers, trying to bring the name of the movie to her mouth.

" 'Cabin Fever'?" he finished her thought.

"Yeah, that's it," she answered.  "I just don't want to see it alone, you know what I mean?"

"Sounds like a great plan," Kurt answered, but before he could add anything else, his inducer went crazy and he returned back into his blue form.  He shrunk into the passenger seat, his yellow eyes looking up at her worriedly.  "Um, Melanie?  I think we got a problem."

She grabbed his wrist where the inducer was and pressed a button; this brought him back to his human form.  "I know; we'll have to get the Professor to check that out when we get back home," she said, smiling.

"You're a lifesaver," he said to her, sitting back up in the seat.  He dropped his books on the floorboard of her Jeep.  "So, what are we waiting for?"

She looked out ahead of her and saw that the other guys had already gone back to the mansion.  "Nothing, really," she answered, starting up the Jeep and heading back to the mansion.

After they had gotten back to the mansion, Kurt had gone off to find the Professor while Melanie went to her room to do her homework.  Clearing her throat, she started on her Geometry, which only took her only ten minutes to finish, and went on to another subject.

Kurt, on the other hand, was in the Professor's study.  Before he could say that he was going on a date that night…

"I already know, Kurt," the Professor said to him.  "That's why you're nervous about dating Melanie; your inducer's been going crazy."

He had an uncanny ability to know things before they happened, which really shocked Kurt.  "That's it exactly," he answered, sitting on the chair on his feet.

"Kurt, there's something else," the Professor added.  "I've had a chance to probe your mind and you really have feelings for Melanie, don't you?"

Now, his heart was thudding out of control.  "What?" he said, almost falling out of his chair.  "You have to be kidding."  Kurt's yellow eyes looked at the Professor.  "Melanie's from a rich family; why would she want to date me?"

"Maybe because she likes you for who you are; the Kurt Wagner underneath the inducer and not the one that she sees at school," he answered.

"But I can't go out with her looking like this," Kurt protested, his spaded tail flicking around behind him.

"I know; in an hour, your inducer will help you out all night, all right?" the Professor said.  After Kurt gave him his inducer, he added, "Now, go on and do your homework, okay?  And don't worry about a thing."

Nodding, Kurt 'ported back to his room and started on his homework.  Instead of concentrating, his mind was filled with thoughts.  _Why would Melanie want to date me, of all the guys that practically follow her around? _he thought to himself.  _Could the Professor be right and she likes me for me?_  Shrugging his shoulders, he started his homework and finished it in record time; despite the nagging questions he kept asking himself.

In her room, Melanie was listening to a burned CD that she had made back home in England.  "Stay the Same" was playing, while the British girl was reading a magazine.  She hummed the song, thinking about the inducer on Kurt's wrist.  _Maybe I should cancel the movie,_ she thought to herself, sighing.  On the other hand, she didn't have to; she liked him enough for the inducer not to matter.  "'There's nothing about you I would change'," she sang the last line, smiling.

The hours went by fast, and soon Kurt had to do something.  He heard a knock on the door.  "Come in," he answered, hearing the door open.

"Kurt, hey, man," Bobby said, raking a hand through his hair.  He looked at Kurt, halfway shocked.  He was wearing a dark blue sweater and khaki pants with black tennis shoes, the inducer on his wrist again.  "Man, you're trying to impress the lady, aren't you?"

His hand went to the inducer that the Professor had given back to him and turned it on, turning him back into the human that usually appeared at school.  As he turned around, Bobby could tell he was blushing.  "Well, I hope I'm not dressing as the oddball," he answered.  "Have you heard from Melanie?"

"Yeah, she said for you to meet her at the gazebo in ten minutes."

He looked at the clock, which read 6:30pm.  "Okay," he answered, raking a hand through his hair and walking out the door.  "I'm there."

Bobby shook his head and followed him until he got to the common room.  "Well, Kurt, this night just might become public," he said, holding up Evan's camcorder.  He waited until Kurt had 'ported from view; then he went over to a bush not too far from where Melanie was.

Melanie sat on the railing of the gazebo, wearing a pair of khaki pants, brown shoes, and a brown and red elbow-length shirt.  Her face only showed a little makeup as usual; powder, a tan eye shadow, and light brownie-like lipstick.  She placed one arm around the pole and leaned against it, humming a song from one of her favorite animes.

"Hey, Mel," a familiar voice said from behind her.

As she turned her head to her side, she saw Kurt sitting next to her.  She started biting the inside of her mouth, a very bad habit for her.  "You're early."

"Isn't that supposed to be a good first impression?" he asked her, gazing into her green eyes, which seemed to glow with the moon over their heads.  Now that he thought about it, she looked really mysterious in the moonlight.  Not that he really cared, but she did look much more than the angelic facade that she passed off every day at school.

"Yes, and so far, I'm impressed," she answered, turning to face him with an almost guilty look on her pretty face.  "But the only one I'm not impressed with is myself, not what after what I've done."

Kurt looked at her.  "What are you talking about, Melanie?" he asked her.  He saw tears creeping to the British girl's eyes.  "What do you mean, after what you've done?"  He reached a hand to her face.

She recoiled slowly until she was against the pole.  "Kurt, it's my fault your mother went over the cliff," she said, letting the tears fall from her eyelashes and down her cheeks.  "I should have done something sooner… if only… if I had only…" She felt a finger sliding across her cheeks, causing her to look at his face, which didn't look angry or anything of the sort.

"It's not your fault," he answered.  "You didn't know it was going to happen, Melanie."  He saw her eyes look away from his.  "I didn't even know it was going to happen, either."

She looked into Kurt's eyes again, sniffling.  "Can you forgive me?"  Without another thought, she laid her head on his shoulder.

He ran his hand through her hair while he felt the girl of his dreams trembling in his arms.  "Melanie, what's done is done," he answered.  "It's not your fault, and it never will be, but to ease your mind, I forgive you."  He rocked her slowly, trying not to scare her while stroking her hair.  "Actually, there's something I need to tell you."

Sniffling, she sat up, drying her eyes while looking into his eyes.  She hoped that he wasn't lying about what he said.  "Same here," she answered him, wrapping one arm around the pole again.

Both Kurt and Melanie's hearts were beating out of control.  Melanie swallowed slowly, bracing herself for the truth.  Kurt, on the other hand, slid next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  "I know someone's going to be telling you this, but I want you to hear it from me," he said, turning around and stepping back inside the gazebo.  He took a deep breath and looked back at Melanie, who had turned around and was facing him.  "I'm in love with you, Melanie."

Her face grew into shock, so much in fact that the tears that came back to her eyes fell down her face, but this time she didn't try to hide it.  She stood to her feet and walked up to almost where Kurt was standing.  Her lips moved to say the words, but her voice was stuck deep in her throat.  Finally, after a minute, she finally gathered her voice back.  "Kurt…" was all that she could get out before her voice choked with emotion again.

"It's true, Melanie," he answered, grabbing her shoulders gently.  "I thought that after everything that had happened, I wouldn't get the picture, but now I do."  He looked into her misted green eyes and smiled.  "I really love you."

From the bushes, Bobby muttered a hushed "Yes!" under his breath into the camcorder.  "Kurt's finally got a girlfriend, but what will Melanie answer with?"

Melanie now had started to bite her bottom lip, letting the truth sink in.  Kurt had finally told her that he loved her.  She kept feeling like she couldn't say anything.  Finally, she swallowed and, with a shaky voice, said, "I love you, too."  She smiled, although she felt like crying.  Her voice getting a little stronger, she said, "I love you, too, Kurt Wagner."

Before he could say anything in return, his inducer went crazy again.  "Oh, man, what a bad way to end a romantic thought," he said to himself, still holding her but with his normal blue skin and three-fingered hands.

She looked into his now-yellow eyes and laughed.  "Don't be silly, Kurt," she answered him, wrapping her arms around his furry shoulders.  "The way I see it, we've only just begun."  She stood up to him and gave him a kiss on his lips.

From the common room in the mansion, thanks to Bobby hooking up Evan's camcorder to the cable link, the others were watching all the love magic in the room.  Scott and Ray both started cheering for them, shouts of "Go, Kurt!" came from several of the older students, and in a rare display of emotion, Rogue smiled.

Amara sighed.  "Now, this is better than a soap opera," she said, only to have the guys looking at her.  "Oh, I guess Melanie's rubbing off on me."

Kitty nodded.  "I haven't seen Kurt this happy since, like, Amanda left town," she agreed.  "I mean, when she left Kurt, that, like, really hurt him."

"Yeah, and now he's got himself a new girlfriend," Jean agreed with her, smiling that there was another romance going on in the mansion.

Amara nodded, looking to the other girls.  "And Melanie won't hurt him like Amanda did," she said.  She looked at the TV.  "They look so cute together."

Back on the gazebo, they let go of each other.  Kurt had slipped his arms to her waist, but Melanie didn't seem to mind.  In fact, despite her tear-stained cheeks, she smiled brightly as if she hadn't smiled for most of her life, which was true.  The movie escaped their minds; it was as if to them the movie didn't matter.

"Well, there's only one thing that would make this night better," Melanie said, drying her eyes.

Kurt raised his eyebrow.  "What would that be?" he asked her, his spaded tail wrapping around her waist.

The smile remained on her face. "To find the guy who taped this and kick his butt," she answered.

"What makes you so sure that someone taped it?" Kurt asked her, ruffling her hair with his fuzzy hand.

Her eyes darted to one of the bushes near them, which was rustling.  She looked back at Kurt.  "Oh, call it a hunch," she answered.  She stepped back as Kurt 'ported out and returned with Bobby, who was holding a camcorder.  She crossed her arms against her chest.  "Bobby, why were you taping us?"

Bobby shrugged.  "Oh, hi, Melanie," he answered.  "Glad to see you and Kurt are getting along well."

"Don't change the subject," she said.  "Now, tell us the truth or I'll tell Kitty what you thought of her muffins this morning."

Kurt laughed, shaking his head.  He leaned next to Melanie.  "You are so bad," he said in her ear.

"I'm glad to hear it from you," she whispered back.  Aloud to Bobby, she said, "So, what's it going to be?"

"Okay, Scott wanted me to tape it, so he could show it to Amara to blackmail me," Bobby answered, shrugging off Kurt's hand on his shoulder.  "Well, now that I'm busted, I guess I should show the Professor what you two were doing in the dark."  Laughing, he ran off.

Melanie was about to run after him when Kurt grabbed her arm.  "Oh, let's let him live through the night," he said.  He looked at his watch.  "Oh, man, the movie's almost over."

"Well, I got the movie "Anger Management" on DVD back in my room," she answered.  "You up for a late movie?"

Smiling, Kurt nodded.  He grabbed Melanie by her waist and 'ported them into the common room, where they were greeted with the older students cheering for them.  After watching Melanie blush, he 'ported them to her room, where they watched "Anger Management."

During the movie, however, Melanie had laid her head on Kurt's shoulder.  She snuggled up to the fuzzy elf and closed her eyes.

After a few minutes, he looked down at her.  Seeing that she was asleep, he shrugged, lying in bed with her.  He ruffled her hair a little, only to feel her arms go around his waist.  She mumbled something about loving Kurt the way he is and not for what he is, making him blush deeper than he thought possible.

"Melanie?" he asked her.  "Are you all right?"

She squeezed her arms gently around his ribs, indicating that she was fine.

Before the movie was over, Kurt closed his eyes as well.  "Good night, Melanie," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before going to sleep.  "I love you, fraulein."

Now that they finally said the hard to say three words, they felt better and closer to each other than they had originally thought.

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((Please R&R this and my other stories as well.  Melanie's not a Mary Sue-type person, but if she does sound that way, please let me know.  Thanks!))


	6. Commercial break literally

Second Author's Note:

Sorry for not updating sooner; Hurricane Isabel messed up my computer and I also hit a pretty bad writer's block.  The good news is that I can keep writing about Melanie and Kurt.

Kurt:  Yeah, we miss that.  *looks around* What's this story called?

Me:  It's called an intermission.

Kurt:  So, no more with the fuzzy?

Me:  What, are you kidding?!  I love the fuzzy dude!

Scott:  Oh, boy; would you two get a room and get it over with?

Jean:  Scott, shut up.

Me:  Thanks.  Anywho, so some more people could review this, here's a little intermission snack…

*Klondike bar commercial*

Jamie:  What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Bobby:  Hey, Melanie, would you give Kurt a kiss?

Melanie:  Which form?

Bobby:  His human form.

Melanie:  In front of you?  No way!

Bobby:  I've got a Klondike bar, rich vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate…

Melanie:  Well, I _am_ Kurt's girlfriend.  *She looks at Kurt, grabbing his arm and shutting off his image inducer* Come here, fuzzy!

Jean:  *singing* For that chocolatey coated ice cream, loaded big and thick, no room for a stick…

(Melanie plants a big one on Kurt, who kisses her back.)

All the XME girls:  What would you do-o-o-o for a Klondike bar?

Melanie:  Now that I did that, give me that Klondike!  *snatches it from Bobby and splits it with Kurt*

(They walk off together until Kurt 'ports both himself and Melanie out of sight.)

*End of commercial*

Me:  Well, I hope this will satisfy until I get my next story done.  It's set around Halloween.  *Kurt 'ports up behind her* Kurt, that's not working.

Kurt:  Crap!

Me:  R&R this and the previous ones, okay?

Kurt:  *puppy eyes* Please?

Bobby:  Oh, great.  First, he's an elf and now he's a puppy.

Me/Kurt:  Shut up, Bobby!

Me:  Please R&R.


	7. A Halloween to Remember

A Halloween to Remember

By:  Cece Williams

((Disclaimer:  Like I said in the previous chapters, I don't own "XME" at all.  Melanie, on the other hand, I do own.  Sorry about the delay, y'all, the hurricane came here and hit us.  That and I had a bad writer's block.  So, anywho, R&R for this one and the other chapters, okay?))

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Kurt Wagner looked at the calendar in the classroom; it was October 31, Halloween.  He tapped his pencil on the desk in boredom, waiting for the clock to strike 3PM.  Desperate to relieve himself from the boredom, he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a note to Melanie, his girlfriend.

Melanie, on the other hand, was reading a book that Rogue had loaned her.  Ever since that night that she had almost died, Rogue and her had reconciled and became good friends.  She felt a tap on her shoulder from behind her; she reached her hand behind her and felt a piece of paper in her hand.

Wondering who it was for, she opened it and read it to herself, "'Melanie, what are you going to be for Halloween?'" It was from Kurt.  She took out one of her favored feathered-tip pens, wrote a response, and sent it back behind her.

Kurt grabbed the paper and read her response to himself:  "'I don't know yet; I might have to surprise you though'."  Next to her response was a smiley face winking at him.  Smiling at Melanie's little joke, he wrote her again and returned it to her.  "'At least give me an idea'," the letter said.

Melanie laughed to herself and wrote him a response, but about that time, class was about over.  She hurriedly gave him the letter.  He took it back and read it.  "'No, Kurt, you'll just have to see it for yourself'," she had written.  Before Kurt could ask Melanie about it, class was over for the day.

After the teacher gave them their homework assignment, they filed out, glad that the day was over.  Melanie put her books in her backpack and stood to her feet, her two-inch-heel boots hitting the floor.  She raked one hand through her reddish-brown hair, two small strands landing on her lavender cardigan.  Her flared jeans flattered her hips, but hopefully to Melanie, they did nothing more than that.  She felt something picking at her back.

As Melanie turned her head, Kurt had gotten the two offending strands of her hair off of her cardigan.  "So, Melanie, you're shedding now?" he asked her, a teasing glint into his blue eyes.  Because of the inducer on his wrist, they weren't yellow like they were back in the mansion.

Melanie laughed again, this time a little openly as she raked her hand through her hair again, which made it softly land at her shoulders.  "That always happens whenever I brush my hair," she answered as she walked outside to her Jeep, Kurt close beside her.  "It's nothing to worry about."

As soon as they got outside the school, Kurt grabbed her arm, which made Melanie turn around, and planted a kiss on her cheery-glossed lips.  Giggling, she kissed him back for a minute.  After she let go, they continued walking to the Jeep.

Kurt stayed beside her until they got to her Jeep.  He watched Melanie get in and unlock his door.  Then, he climbed into the Jeep, where Melanie had started it, causing her stereo to play a demo CD that she had bought a few days ago.  Both buckled their seatbelts.

Melanie felt like blushing because of Kurt looking at her.  "You know, it's really impolite to stare," she said, looking at him with a wink.

The wink snapped him out of it.  "Sorry, Melanie," he said, lightly blushing.  He started hearing the music, slowly bobbing his head to the beat.  "I wonder when this CD comes out," he said, changing the subject.

As Melanie pulled out of the parking lot, she answered, "They told me that it's going to be out in a few months."  After stopping at a stoplight, she looked at Kurt again.  "If you want to, you can borrow it."

When the Jeep started moving again, he smiled at her.  Outside, he was happy that he was going to borrow Melanie's CD; inside, however, he really wanted to know what Melanie was going to dress up as for Halloween.

After they had gotten to the mansion, Melanie did her usual routine, doing her homework while listening to her music.  She was just about to open the door when Kitty phased herself through the door.  "Kitty, hi," she said, startled.

"Hey, Melanie," she answered.  She stood in her room looking like a white cat, with cat ears and a cattail.  "I need your opinion; how do I look?"

"Like a cat," she answered, raising an eyebrow.  Her green eyes looked to the carpet sorrowfully.

She noticed her friend's sudden change of attitude right away.  "Melanie, what's wrong?" she asked her.  "Don't you have a costume?"

Melanie shook her head.  "I'm afraid that Kurt will find out before the party," she answered, speaking of the party later on that night.

"Well, tell him it's a surprise," Kitty answered.  Her blue eyes suddenly sparked with an idea.  "Melanie, I got an idea; wait here."  Before she could say anything, she phased through the floor.

Melanie shook her head and sat on her bed, looking out the window.

After a few minutes, Kitty phased back through the wall again.  "I hope this fits you," she said, laying a black-clothed hanger on her bed.

Melanie looked at the black plastic and unzipped it, revealing a costume that she had never seen before.  "It's a mermaid's costume," she said.

"Yeah, and you know why?" Kitty asked.  "Because Kurt's going to, like, dress up as Prince Charming."

"Uh, Kitty," she corrected her friend.  "Prince Charming was from _Sleeping Beauty_, not _The Little Mermaid._"  She eyed the costume; it had green fins and the purple sea shelled bra-type thing, almost an exact replica of what the outfit was in the movie.  She giggled to herself.  "Think Kurt will tell if it's me?"

"Yeah," she answered.  Before phasing through the wall again, she looked at Melanie.  "You know, I think Bobby might be after you."

"I'll take my chances," she said as Kitty phased through the wall.  She started to undo her clothes and try on her costume.  After she hooked her top on, she looked at herself.  _I just hope the Professor's not going to see me in this,_ she thought to herself.

After several minutes of deliberating, she decided that she was going to go downstairs.  Unfortunately, when she tried to move, she fell to the floor.  Seeing that she didn't have any bruises, she sat back on her bed.  "Now, what am I going to do?" she asked herself.  She eyed her other costume, the one that Ariel wore in _The Little Mermaid_, the dress.

"Melanie, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked her.

She turned around, relieved to see Jean's face but almost laughed at her friend's costume.  Jean was dressed like Princess Leia from _Star Wars._  "Nice costume," she said.

"You don't look that bad yourself," she answered.

"You know the bad part about being a mermaid?" Melanie asked Jean.  "I can't stand up and dance with Kurt, or even do anything," she said.  She wanted to punch her fins, but Jean stopped her by grabbing her fin.

"Melanie, there's room for you to move if you want to," she said, pointing to a hole in the back of her costume.  "So, what are you waiting for?"

She smiled; she was going to surprise Kurt big time, and as a mermaid as well.  She stuck her feet out of the back of her fin and stood to her feet.  "Nothing, let's party!" she said, walking out of her room with Jean behind her.  When they had gotten to the staircase, everyone else was talking, their backs to them.  Melanie saw that Kurt was right at the end of the railing that she was near.  Giggling to herself, she climbed up on it and slid down the railing.

Meanwhile, Kurt was talking to Bobby, who was dressed as a pirate, and Scott, who was dressed like Luke Skywalker.  Jean had walked down the stairs to his side just in time to see Melanie, in her mermaid costume, slide down to Kurt, who had his arms up to catch her.  "So, this is what you are," Kurt said to her as she landed in his arms.

Melanie smiled, nodding her head while she moved her legs into her fin, causing to make her legs move like a mermaid.  "What were you thinking I was going to be, Queen Elizabeth II?" she said to him.  She looked at Kurt, giggling.  "And who are you supposed to be?"

Kurt set her down gently as Melanie's green eyes looked up at her boyfriend.  He looked closely like that Raphael guy from one of her favorite video games, Soul Calibur II, with the exception of his blue hair.  "I would've gone with a British one, but they didn't have it," he said, bowing to her.

She smiled.  "Well, have I ever told you that I love swashbucklers?" she asked him as her boyfriend pulled her to her feet.  Teasingly, she added, "And the Ninja Turtles, too."

He shook his head at her joke.  "Very nice, Melanie," he said.  Before they could get romantic, Kitty, who was evidently mad at Jamie for something, was chasing five Jamies all around the living room.  He laughed a little about the scene.  He looked back to Melanie, who was talking to Jean.

"I'm going to change," she said, her voice sounding a little down as she slipped out of his embrace and walked back to her room.  After she was out of sight, she started humming "Angel", one of her favorite songs while walking back to her room.  She looked at her second choice of her costume, the dress, and smiled.  _Maybe now I can dance with Kurt in this,_ she thought to herself.

She slid out of her mermaid costume and pulled on her dress.  The bodice was a little tight, but she didn't seem to mind.  _I've worn dresses like this before,_ she thought.  She slid the black shoes on her feet and looked at herself in the mirror.  She was going to walk out the door when a poofing sound came from behind her; she turned her head to see Kurt standing in front of her.

"I liked the mermaid one better," he said in a joking manner.

"Well, this makes me easier to move, don't you think?" she asked him, twirling around to show off the dress in front of him.  "I mean, do you want to dance with me or not?"

After hearing the word "dance", Kurt grabbed Melanie's hand and 'ported them downstairs, where the song was one of her favorites from one of her Japanese game CDs.  She loved the slow ones, especially "Ordinary World."

"Milady," Kurt said in a purposely messed-up British accent, bowing in front of her as if she were a goddess, extending his hand out to her.  "Would a lady like a dance?"

Playing along, she took his outstretched hand and said in a fake stuck-up voice, "Why, yes, kind sir."  They looked at each other and laughed at each other's voices.  As she laid her head on his shoulder, she added, "You cute little funny elf."

"That's 'fuzzy elf'," he corrected in her ear, laughing that she still hadn't gotten that right yet.  Yet, he had to love her for the attempt.

During the song, she looked at Kurt.  Although at times he acted so juvenile, he was a really great guy.  Her mind took her back to when they first met, when Kurt turned off his inducer in front of her and showed her what he really looked like.  Then, soon after she arrived, he had literally taken her to a club and danced with her to "Build Me Up Buttercup."  Then, her mind took her to when she was recovering from her coma.  He was very considerate, especially when he had bought her several croissants.  Finally, she thought of the time when they had finally kissed each other.

"Now, who's staring?" Kurt's joking voice snapped her out of it.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she answered, feeling a blush creep up to her cheeks.  She tried to think of an explanation for her actions, but she found herself almost to the point of stuttering.  "I was actually thinking of, um, well…"

"I know," he answered, which took her by surprise.  "I was thinking of the same thing."  He took one of his hands from her waist and caressed her cheek, which he could see that Melanie's blush had gotten deeper.

"Are you trying to get me to kiss you?" she asked him, trying her hardest to keep the blush from becoming visible.  Unfortunately, Kurt had already seen it.  Her eyes shifted to Scott and Jean, who were literally French kissing, and giggled at the sight.  "Like those two?"

He turned her head back to him, where he could see her green eyes.  He started to think back as well, back to when Melanie was just a shy British schoolgirl.  She had definitely grown up since that day.  He remembered when she tried to stop the statue from breaking, and then he stayed by her side while she recovered.  Although she looked shocked when he had told her his true feelings for her, she had actually admitted them to him.  And now, as he was dancing with her, she didn't have a shocked look on her face; she was looking like she hadn't been happy in years.

"Hello?  Earth to the funny elf," Melanie's voice snapped him out of it.  "Pretty girlfriend in front of you."

As soon as he realized that he was staring, he looked at Melanie.  "That's 'fuzzy elf,' milady," he answered in his purposely messed-up British accent.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're awake," she answered.  She ruffled his hair a little before almost getting closer to him.  "Because as you know, it's impolite to stare," she added, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.  "I was asking you a question, silly."

"Okay, fire away," he answered her, but before Kurt could ask Melanie what the question was, he saw Jean and Scott kissing each other.

"Why is called French kissing?" she asked him.  "I mean, they're American, you're German, and I'm British.  And more importantly, what is it?"

To her surprise, Kurt wrapped one arm around her waist; the other hand went to the back of her neck, looking into her questioning green eyes.  "Well, instead of asking them, how about we try it out?" he asked her.  Not waiting for Melanie's reply, he brought his face closer to hers and finally kissed her.

This took her totally by surprise, but as soon as she realized that it was just her boyfriend, she kissed him back.  She felt his tongue slowly go into her mouth, which as soon as she realized what French kissing was; she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.  They stayed like that for only a minute and then broke apart.  "So, that's what French kissing is," she said.

"Yeah, it was pretty fun," he answered her.  After the song ended, they headed to the staircase and sat down on the bottom step, holding each other's hands.  "Are you having fun yet?" Kurt asked her.

Melanie nodded as the song ended, and another song started again, this time a fast one.  Neither made an attempt to lead the other back onto the dance floor.  They just sat there on the stairs, watching several of the others make total idiots out of themselves.  Even as Kurt's ever-moving tail snaked its way around her waist, she didn't move.  The only time she did, though, was to lay her head on his shoulder.

Other than an occasional yawn, that was all Kurt heard from her.  "It's only 10:30, and you're tired already?" he asked her, confusion filling his yellow eyes.

She jerked her head up and looked at her watch.  "Oh, my," she said, a startled look in her green eyes.  "I had no idea it was this late; I've got an assignment that I hadn't even started on."

"Let me take a guess; it's the three haikus that you have to write about a person that you care about, isn't it?" Kurt asked her, knowing that they were both in the same class.

Melanie nodded her head, covering her mouth from her yawn.

Kurt grabbed her shoulder.  "Maybe you should lie down and do it in the morning," he said.   After Melanie stood to her feet, he stood up as well, walking Melanie to her room, his arm around her waist.  Before she could open her door, however, she almost collapsed to the floor.  He caught her, picked her up, and 'ported into her room to her bedside.  He laid the sleepy girl on the bed and wrapped her up.

"Kurt, I'm fine, really," she said, her voice groggy as she yawned.

"I know you hadn't gotten much sleep last night," Kurt answered, sitting next to her, turning on her glitter lamp by her bedside.  "Just try and get some rest, and I promise I'll help you with the poems in the morning.  We'll wake up early and work on it."

After a minute of yawning, she finally agreed.  "Okay," she conceded as Kurt laid her head on the pillow.  "'Night, fuzzy," she said.

Pretending to sound serious, he answered, "Finally, you get that right."  He kissed her once on the forehead and after a heartfelt "I love you" from each other, he 'ported into his room and got ready for bed.

Downstairs, the party had died down, and everyone was leaving for their rooms because there was school tomorrow.  They went to bed, all commenting about the party.

The morning came and Melanie woke up to a poofing sound above her head.  "Good morning, fraulein," Kurt said, hanging upside down by his tail on the light fixture, looking at Melanie with his yellow eyes.  "So, you going to do your homework or am I going to have to get strict again?"

"Oh, please," Melanie said, pretending to be scared.  "Anything but that, sir.  I'll do my homework."  She looked at him and started laughing, only to have Kurt laughing with her.  After getting out of bed, she grabbed her notebook off of her desk, sat on her bed, and started thinking about who to write about.  After only a few seconds, she jotted down three haikus:

There is enchantment

And he's like a dream that I

Don't want to wake from

That night when I found

That special person for me

I will never forget

Holding me closer,

He pushes all my feelings

Closer to him still.

"Well, that's that," she said, gathering her books up and waited for Kurt to 'port out of her room.  After he did, she got dressed and put on her usual makeup.  She looked at her clock, which read 6:45AM.  Thinking for a minute, she wrote down a haiku, not for class, but for her fuzzy blue boyfriend.

After she was done, she gathered her things into her backpack and walked out of her room, stopping at Kurt's door for only a few seconds to slide her haiku under it before walking down the stairs.

Kurt saw the shadow and knew it was probably Melanie.  Before he could 'port to the door, Melanie had already headed downstairs.  Shaking his head, he 'ported back inside to find a half-slip of paper on the floor.  Curiously, he opened it and read it to himself:

My fuzzy boyfriend

Is like a fire that burns deep

In my beating heart.

Kurt laughed to himself.  "Melanie, you little sneak," he said to himself, grabbing his inducer and slapping it on his wrist.  After he turned it on, he grabbed his things and 'ported down to where the British girl was standing.  "Got your note," he said, almost making her jump.

"You did?" she said, turning around.  "I'm glad you did."  She gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

Scott shook his head.  "Why don't you two go off and get a room?" he asked them.  This made the others snicker.

"That was just a harmless peck on the cheek," Kurt objected.   "Look, if I wanted to get a room, I'd kiss Melanie like this."  Unexpectedly, before Melanie could say a word, he grabbed Melanie into his arms and gave her a French kiss, which made several of the other students catcall and wolf-whistle.

"I just hope you won't be doing that while you're at school, you two," the Professor said, looking mainly at Melanie and Kurt.

"Oh, I don't believe in PDA," she said.  She gave Kurt a little tug on the ear, adding, "But maybe I'll help Kurt on that."

"Ouch," Kurt said after being grabbed by the ear.  "Don't worry, Professor; we won't think of embarrassing ourselves like that…" He looked at Jean and Scott.  "Now, those two, however…"

"Kurt, get back here!" Scott shouted after Kurt as he ran by Melanie, almost knocking her down.

Melanie just shook her head as Scott chased after her boyfriend.  Yes, now Kurt did act immature there, but she couldn't help but love him.  _I guess that even _I_ dig the fuzzy dude,_ she thought to herself as she grabbed an apple and sat in the living room, eating the red fruit.  This chick definitely dug the fuzzy.


	8. My Second Commercial

Third Author's Note:

            I'm sorry if I hadn't been updating lately, but things have been kinda crazy here at home.  I can assure you that I will keep on with the antics of Kurt and Melanie.  I probably do a fight of Melanie vs. Pyro or even maybe a songfic.

Kurt:  You should try "Paint It Black."

Me:  Nah, too melancholy.

Bobby:  How about "I Think I Love You?"

Scott:  Please, Bobby.  The last thing Kurt needs to do is embarrass her in front of the school.

Kurt:  (looks at Scott) And what's wrong with that?

Me:  Kurt, please don't push me, or I just might have to write a songfic of "Blue" by Eiffel 65.

Bobby:  (sings off-key) I'm blue, ba da di da bu da…

Kurt:  (pops Bobby upside his head with one of Kitty's muffins) Shut it, Drake!

Me:  (sighs) Cut it out, you two!  (She turns to the reader) Sorry about that.  Well, I think I should write another commercial.  Hope you like it.

*Commercial for Aflac (the one with the funny duck)*

Kurt:  (sits on the couch, reading) Did you know, Melanie, that if you get hurt, your insurance will pay for it?

Melanie:  What insurance?

Duck:  (is around Melanie's ankle) Aflac!

Kurt:  (ignoring the duck) And the Professor won't have to worry about your medical bills.

Melanie:  What insurance is that, Kurt?

Duck:  Aflac!

Kitty:  (walks in the living room) Like, have you seen my muffins?

Melanie:  (looks up at Kitty) Nope, we haven't seen them.

(Kurt looks down to see that the duck had eaten two of Kitty's muffins.)

Kurt:  Oh, man.  He's gonna need that insurance, Melanie.

Melanie/Kitty:  (in unison) What insurance?

Duck:  *flies to the nearest bathroom, starts coughing up Kitty's muffins, and flushes the toilet* Af-Lac!!

Rogue:  *sees the duck fly out of the bathroom* Okay…

(The duck flies outside the mansion, only to get met by Logan.)

Duck:  Aflac!

Logan:  (extends his claws) Mmm … duck dinner.

(The duck gulps and flies off like a bat out of hell, desperate to get away from Logan.)

*End Commercial*

Me:  Well, I hope that was a little funny.

Kurt:  A little?  That was really funny!  Why don't you write a comedy?

Me:  Well, maybe later on.

Bobby:  (laughs so hard he hits the floor) Man, Kitty's muffins were that bad?

Kitty:  What did you say, Bobby?

Scott, Kurt, and me:  Busted!

(Everyone starts laughing as Kitty chases Bobby around the room)

Me:  Well, please R&R this and the other chapters, okay?


	9. When Things Go Crazy

When Things Go Crazy

By:  Cece Williams

((Disclaimer:  Well, I still don't own "XME," but I still own Melanie.  Any actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  This is set right after Melanie fought Pyro… and barely beat him.  R&R.))

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Kurt was in his room, hanging upside down by his tail.  He had the window open, so a soft breeze came through, making the curtains dance.  The blue fuzzy mutant started humming a song from one of the concerts that he had gone to earlier that year when he heard shouting, possibly from Melanie's room.  He 'ported outside the door and started walking until he heard the voices clearly.  One was the Professor, one was Logan, and one was a bigger shock, her father.

"Melanie, do you have any idea how stupid that was, trying to fight a mutant like Pyro by yourself?" her father said to his daughter, who was literally backed into a corner of her room.

When she didn't answer, the Professor placed a hand on his shoulder.  "Maybe you would like to sit down in the common room and cool down," he said.  "Yelling at your daughter isn't going to solve anything."

Mr. Portman looked at his daughter once more before agreeing.  "I do believe her punishment is a very strict one, but she deserves it," he said as they left her room.

The normal cheery, peppy Melanie was now a broken-down teenager in her room.  She looked up at Logan, who she called her surrogate uncle.  "Uncle Logan, you have to believe me," she said, her voice cracking with emotion.  "I'm sorry and I'll never do it again, I swear."

Logan just looked at her once and, without an answer, left her room after the Professor and her father.  He thought to himself, [I want to believe you, Duchess, but I can't.]  He walked down the hall, past a confused Kurt.

Kurt looked into her room and couldn't find Melanie at all.  He looked around with his yellow eyes, trying to find out where she was.  "Melanie?" he asked softly, trying not to upset her any more than she already was.  He walked in and looked over her bed and found Melanie, sitting on the floor against the wall in the corner.  The sight shocked him; she held her knees to her chest, laid her arms on her knees and her head was on her arms.  Her shoulders rose and fell from her crying, and she had no idea he was even in her room.  "What's wrong?"

Melanie sniffled and looked up, her green eyes almost bloodshot from crying.  Her reddish-brown hair, which was normally styled perfect, looked as if a hurricane came through it.  Her flawless face was now tear-streaked, and when she tried to talk, her voice sounded like meat going through a grinder.  "Kurt…" was all she could get out before bringing her head to her arms again.

Kurt sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shaking shoulders.   "What happened?" he asked her.  "What's gotten them so upset at you…?"

"Upset?" she interrupted.  "Try 'angry' or maybe even 'mad to the point I want to wring your neck'."  She looked at her side and saw Kurt's yellow eyes for a few seconds before she turned around, her back to him.  "I tried to get away from him…"

"Tried to get away from who?" he asked her, wrapping his arms around her waist.  "Anyone try anything with you?"

Melanie shook her head, her mouth letting out a hiccup from her throat.  "It's not like that," she answered.

As she began to tell him about her fight with Pyro, Kurt recoiled.  "Were you out of your mind?" he asked her.

She slipped out of his embrace, drying her eyes as she stood to her feet, looking down at him.  "I knew you were going to act that way, too," she said, her voice cracking.  "I just wanted to do something by myself, and besides, he attacked me first."  Her voice was close to squeaking from her throat.  "What did you think I was going to do, just stand there and let him kill me?"

Kurt seemed shocked at the sudden change of her voice.  She sounded hysterical and irrational, which was kind of unusual for a normally cheerful girl like Melanie.  "But have you ever thought about calling us to help you?" he said, trying to remain calm.

Though the tears continued to fall, her voice was rising.  "All my life, I've been raised to be just a little girl that you can put on a shelf," she said, the anger in her voice rising.  "I feel like I'm some kind of trophy."

Kurt stood to his feet, trying to keep his voice calm.  "Melanie, I've never thought of you as a trophy," he said, walking until he was only inches from her.  "Sure, I know you've gotten tougher, but I was worried about you.  You could have gotten yourself killed."  His yellow eyes searched through hers as he brought his hands to her shoulders.  "What do you think I would've done if anything happened to you?"

Melanie knew he was right; what she did was reckless, and she could have gotten killed, but still, no one understood what her father was making her.  Hearing the last statement from Kurt almost made her tear up again.  "I … I don't know," she answered as honestly as she could, her voice calming slowly.

"I'll tell you," he answered her, holding her chin and pulling her head up to meet his eyes.  "I wouldn't know how to handle it.  Melanie, I know you're upset, but something's upsetting you much more than this 'discussion'; you know you can tell me what's really going on."

Melanie felt Kurt's fuzzy hand lead her to her bed and they sat down.  She could feel his eyes burning into her.  "I'm pretty much grounded," she whispered.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  "How bad is it?" he asked.

"Well, to put it bluntly, I have to come here directly after school, not using my powers at all or joining you guys on any missions, and train with Logan for three months," she said.  She scratched an itch on her shoulder.  "I either follow through with this, or my father will take me back to London and put me in a boarding school."

The last statement from Melanie made Kurt jump off of her bed.  "And that means that…" he started.

"That I'll probably never see you again," she finished her dreaded thought.  She bit her lip nervously.  "I guess I have no choice if I want to stay here with you, Kurt.  So, I decided that I was going to take the training with Logan."

He sat back on her bed, pulled Melanie's head on his shoulder and rubbed her arm.  "Oh, man," he said, "and I thought that washing the uniforms, waxing the X-Jet, and cleaning out the Danger Room every day for a month was bad…"

"Come on, Kurt," she said, looking up at him.  "That's not bad at all."

"Oh, really?" he asked her.  "How about that _and_ Logan's sessions?"

Melanie cringed slightly, only to have Kurt's hand rubbing her arm and then it went to her back.  "You think I made a good choice?" she asked him.

"Yeah, you're going to be fine," Kurt answered, ruffling her hair.  "Just do me a favor and don't do that again."

"I promise," she answered, wrapping her arms around Kurt, who hugged her back.  "I'm not going to try that again."

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Three months went by, and her grounding was over… well, almost; the next day was the last day.  During her grounding, Melanie thought about what to tell the Professor and Logan, not to mention her father about her reckless behavior.  After dinner, she asked the Professor, her father, and Logan out into the hall for "something important," was the way she put it.

They obliged and walked outside.  They looked at Melanie, who was looking behind her to make sure she was only with them.  "So, Melanie, what did you want to say?" the Professor asked her.

Melanie took a deep breath and held a hand to her heart, which was pounding.  "Professor, Uncle Logan…" she started as she looked up and saw her father's face.  He looked calmer but still upset at her.  "Dad…" she continued.  "I want to apologize for my extremely reckless behavior; what I did was irresponsible, stupid, and careless, and I promise you I will never do it again."  She swallowed a lump in her throat.  "I'm sorry for acting the way I was…" She lowered her head, which caused her hair to almost fall at her eyes and tried to hide the fact that she was crying.  "And, Father, if you think I should return to London, then so be it."

Mr. Portman looked at his daughter, who had obviously learned her lesson.  He walked up to her and gave her a hug, something she didn't really expect.  "My little Duchess," he said, running a hand through her hair.  "I know at times I'm overprotective, but it's just because I love you."

Melanie hugged her father tightly, the tears falling freely from her eyes.  "Oh, Dad," she said, her voice cracking again.  "I love you, too."

"That reminds me, about you going home to London…" her father said to her.  Knowing that Melanie was probably expecting the worst, he smiled.  "The Professor and I had a long talk, along with Mr. Logan.  They agree that you're getting better, and I want you to stay here…"

Melanie's eyes were shot wide-open.  "You mean, I'm not going back to London?" she asked him.

"Nope," he answered.  "Now, for Christmas, I expect you at home…"

Melanie smiled and laughed.  "I know, I know…" she started and they finished together, "before Christmas Eve at 4:30 PM."

He let go of his daughter and looked at her.  "And I also hope that your boyfriend's intentions towards you are well-mannered," he said.

"Oh, who, Kurt?" she asked him.  "Don't worry; he's not that kind of guy."  She looked at the Professor and Logan.  "I hope you can forgive me…"

A poofing sound came from above them on the chandelier before Melanie can finish.  "Uh, tender moment?" Kurt's German accent came to their ears.  "Sorry to interrupt you all."

"Mr. Wagner…." the Professor's voice sounded calm.  "This is a family affair…"

"Oh!" Kurt said, blushing through his fur.  "Sorry!"  He 'ported out of sight again before Melanie's father said anything.

The Professor turned back to Melanie.  "You don't have to say anything," he said.  "Just don't do it again, all right?"

Melanie nodded her head as if her head was a bobble-head.  "Yes, Professor, Uncle Logan," she answered.  "Should I suit up for tonight's session with Uncle Logan?"

Logan shook his head.  "Don't worry about it, kid," he answered.

"Melanie, consider your grounding over," the Professor added.

Her face lit up like a little girl who saw a puppy in a pet store window.  She hugged the Professor, Logan, and her father tightly.  As soon as she let go, thanking them, she skipped down the hall, singing happily at the top of her lungs, "It's raining men!  Hallelujah!  It's raining men!  Amen!"

Her father laughed while the other two stood there in shock.  "That's Melanie's favorite song back home," he explained while Logan held a hand to his head and shook his head.  The Professor smiled, knowing that Melanie was thrilled to hear the news.

Down the hall, Kurt was leaning against the wall leading to her room.  "So, got to train with Logan?" he asked her.

"Nope," she said.  "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about the way I was acting that day."

"Aww…" Kurt hugged her tightly.  "I forgive you, too."

Her eyes grew in shock.  "You mean you were eavesdropping?"

Blushing, Kurt nodded, racing on down the hall on all fours.

Melanie chased after him.  "Kurt Wagner, get back here!" she shouted.  As Kurt 'ported out of sight, she stopped and sighed.  Everything was getting back to normal.  Melanie smiled, knowing she was going to keep her promise to them.  As for Kurt, … well, that's another story.

"Melanie…" the Professor's voice entered her mind.

"Okay, I'll forgive him," she said out loud.  "When I can find him, that is."


	10. Acceptance

Acceptance

By: Cece Williams

((Disclaimer: I don't own XME at all, so you can't sue.))

((AN: Sorry for all of the LONG waiting. I had other fanfics to write and I had a lot of school to boot. I know this is a little late for Christmas, but just bear with me. In case anyone forgot, this is an AU.))

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Melanie watched some of the younger students pile into a van, eager to see their parents for Christmas. She took a sip of cocoa and looked out the window, waiting for her father to arrive. It had been a good long while since her father had shown up at the Institute, and she was hoping he'd arrive with her mother and her baby sister, Bianca. A small smile played across her lips as she watched the van pull away from the front doors; she waved at some of the students who had waved back at her.

A hand on her shoulder stunned her and she turned around. "Oh, hi, Rogue," she said, her mood trying to keep cheerful.

Rogue sat next to her on the window seat, wearing a black cardigan, black pants and black gloves. "Mel, what are you doing in here?"

"I'm waiting for my father," she answered, turning her eyes back out the window. "He promised me he'd be here."

"Well, do you mind if someone waited with you?"

Melanie nodded her head. "Sure," she answered, and they stayed silent for a while.

Rogue broke it. "So, is your dad bringing anyone else?"

"Well, I hope he brings my mum and my little sister."

Rogue's eyes widened. "You have a sister?"

"Yes, her name's Bianca, and she's about 5 months old now."

"Bet she's cute," Rogue said to her, looking out the window.

"I've never seen her," Melanie answered her. She stood up and looked at her. "Well, I guess I better put on something better than this." She pointed to her blue pajamas.

Rogue nodded and Melanie bounded up the stairs. Several minutes went by and she walked down the stairs, wearing a green cardigan, black pants, and black boots. Her hair was styled in a wavy manner. Rogue nodded her head in approval.

Melanie's hand went to the snowflake earrings on her ears. They were relatively new, since she had bought them only a month ago. The white snowflakes on her ears contrasted off of her reddish-brown hair. "I hope I'm not going overboard with this."

"Mel, everything'll be fine," Rogue told her.

Melanie nodded her head. "I'm sure it will be," she answered her. She was about to continue until she saw a taxi pull up to the front steps. Thinking that it was probably for someone else, she sat down in a chair not far from the door, sipping her now semi-warm chocolate.

Rogue raked a hand through her dark red/white hair. Melanie wanted to see her father, who worked for an important business in London, her hometown. He was usually away anyway, but he wanted Christmas off to see his oldest daughter, although he already knew she was a mutant. In a way, Rogue shared in the excitement with Melanie but inwardly felt down.

"Rogue? What's the matter?"

Rogue looked at Melanie, pulling on a brave face for her. "Nothing," she answered. She looked out the window. "Looks like whoever's here have a suitcase."

Melanie immediately jumped up. Setting her mug on a coaster, she went to the door. She was about twenty feet from the door when Rogue opened it. A man stood in the doorway and smiled at Melanie.

"Hello, Melanie," the man at the door said, opening his arms.

Melanie's green eyes lit up as she ran to her father's arms as if she were ten years old. "Father!" she shouted, hugging her father. "Oh, it's good to see you again, Father!"

Mr. Portman looked at Rogue. "Rogue, I see you and the others have been keeping an eye on Melanie," he said to her.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Rogue said to her. "Melanie's a big girl now."

"I say she is," he answered.

Melanie literally pulled her father inside the mansion. As she did, he picked up a car seat with a little girl of about five months. The little girl had blue eyes like her mother and reddish-brown hair like her. "Is this Bianca?" As her father nodded, she picked the little girl up out of the car seat. "Hey, there, Bianca."

Bianca only blinked at her. "Melly?"

Melanie knew that she was trying to say her name. "Yes, that's my name," she answered as she tickled the little girl, who giggled. Melanie set Bianca back in the car seat and was about to say something until she saw another figure walked in behind her father and closed the door. That was when Melanie's happy demeanor turned downward. "Father, who is this?"

The figure walked to the other side of her father. She was a slender woman with a white coat. Her blond hair seemed to make her look like an angel, along with her blue eyes. Melanie did not like this one bit.

"Father, who is this woman?" she asked her father.

"Melanie, sweetheart, there's something I have to tell you," her father said to her. He put his hands on Melanie's shoulders and took a deep breath. "Your mother died in a car accident two months ago."

The girl didn't know whether to cry or stand still. "Why wasn't I informed of her death?" she asked, keeping her voice calm.

"I didn't want to interfere with your studies," he answered. He looked to the blond haired woman. "Melanie, this is Emma, your new step-mother."

This time, Melanie was upset. "Step-mother?!" she said, her voice raising a few octaves. "When did you decide this? When my mother was buried?" Her father hung his head, which made Melanie even angrier. "You cheated on my mother, didn't you?" Angry tears fell from her green eyes and slid down her cheeks. "Answer me!"

"Melanie, honey, your mother and I were having problems…"

"And I bet you killed her, didn't you?" Her eyes no longer shone with joy; now they were filled with hatred and betrayal. "To get out of a divorce!"

From the sidelines, Rogue was shocked. She had heard from Melanie that her father was an upstanding man, but now she was talking to him as if he were a dog.

"Melanie, dear, please listen to me…" Before he could continue, he was met with a slap across his face. He brought his hand to where Melanie had slapped him. His own daughter.

"I don't have to listen to you!" Melanie almost shouted. "Take this trash you call my step-mother and leave!"

"Melanie, don't you dare call her such names!"

"I'll call her anything I so please!" Melanie had now reached her anger point. "Leave here, and never come back! I don't ever want to see you again! You're not my father anymore!" With that, Melanie raced up the stairs and went to her room, slamming the door behind her. Locking the door behind her, she fell onto her bed. Hurt, betrayal, anger, and resentment… all four emotions battled within her as she buried her face in a pillow.

Meanwhile, in the study, the Professor closed his eyes and set his mug of cocoa down.

Logan looked at him. "Anything wrong, Chuck?"

The Professor opened his eyes, more shocked of what he had heard through his telepathy. "It's Melanie," he said. "She's furious with her father. She even wants to disown him."

Logan raised an eyebrow in confusion. This didn't sound like Melanie, the young whippersnapper who had grown a lot during her training, a very loyal member of the X-Men. "I'm sure Duchess wouldn't mean something like that."

"Still, she has to think of her sister's well-being as well."

Hanging upside down on a light fixture in the hallway, Kurt had seen and heard everything happen. In a way, he felt sorry for Melanie, but mainly for the little girl in the car seat. When Melanie had run past him, he literally felt all the anger inside her. He jumped from the light fixture to the floor, walked to her bedroom door, and knocked on it. "Melanie? Are you all right in there?"

From behind the door, Melanie was still upset. "Please, go away," she answered. "I don't want to be bothered."

Knowing that something was definitely wrong, Kurt teleported into her room, hanging on the chandelier in the room. He was about to cut a joke until he saw her. Her green eyes were bloodshot from crying, her fists were clenched to the point that her knuckles were turning white, and her normally styled hair was now in a mess. "Melanie?"

She jerked herself upright and almost went into a fighting pose until she saw a pair of yellow eyes looking at her. "Kurt? How did you…" She looked at the still locked door. "Oh, never mind."

Kurt landed on her bed. "I heard everything you said," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I know your father kept your mother's death a secret from you."

Melanie only blinked in response.

"I also know he cheated on your mother," Kurt continued, leaning her head against him. "But the most important person to worry about isn't who is married to your father or even your father."

Melanie wanted to open her mouth to answer, but she found that she couldn't. After drying her eyes for a second, she looked down at the carpet. "My little sister," she answered in a very low voice. She then bowed her head lower, trying to stop the oncoming tears from flooding her eyes. "I can't believe I let my little sister hear that." She pulled a hand over her eyes and mentally punched herself. "I'm a poor excuse for a sister."

"You were just angry," he answered her. "But, with all that came out, I think that maybe you forgot your sister heard everything."

"Who should I apologize to first?" Melanie asked him.

"It might be best to do it all at once," Kurt answered her, patting her shoulder with his three-fingered hand. "I know it's hard to take back what you said, but you should be grateful you have a family. Some of us don't really have one."

"Speaking of families, Kurt, why aren't you with yours?" Melanie asked her boyfriend.

"My image inducer's not working really well," Kurt answered her. "And believe me, getting on a plane, looking like this…" He pointed to his blue fuzzy self while his tail swished. "It just wouldn't look right on a plane."

Melanie laughed a little. "That's true," she answered. "But where is my sister, anyway?"

"Oh, Jamie's playing with her in the living room," Kurt answered. He wrapped his arms around her and 'ported to the living room, where Jamie and her sister were playing "Patty Cake." Kurt prodded her forward with his hand.

Melanie felt the push and looked at them. "Hi, there," she said to them, smiling. "Are you having fun?"

Bianca nodded her head, giggling. "He funny."

"I'm sure he is, sweetheart," Melanie answered. "Um, Jamie, would you be a doll and bring my father and my step-mother in here, please?" When she turned around, she saw five Jamies. "Um, all five of you."

The five Jamies nodded and left the living room, reforming into one.

Melanie looked back at Bianca. "Bianca, honey, they're something I need to tell you," she said to her. As Bianca looked at her with the blue eyes of her mother, the pressure increased twice as much. "Bianca, I'm sorry for what I said about Father and Emma. I really didn't mean it; everything had…" She stopped, only to see Bianca look up at her, holding her sister's hand.

"I know," Bianca said. "Melly didn't mean it. She was just upset."

Melanie felt like crying all over again. "You're willing to forgive me?" she asked her. "After what I've said about Father…" She stopped again as she saw her sister's arms out in front of her.

"Me wanna give Melly a huggie," Bianca said to her.

Melanie picked up her little sister and gave her a good strong hug, which wasn't much, but she felt a little better. "It won't happen again; I swear to you," she said to her. She heard the door open and turned her head, seeing her father and Emma.

"Melanie, dear," Emma said before Melanie's father could say anything. "The Professor told us what you said to Bianca."

Melanie looked at her in shock. She knew the Professor knew about it because of his telepathy, but how did she know?

"I know because I'm also a telepath," Emma said to her, once again leaving Melanie in pure shock. "I'm also a mutant, like you, Melanie, and sometimes your emotions cause you to say things you don't mean."

Bianca pulled on Melanie's cardigan. "Emma, don't make Melly cwy," she said to her.

Melanie dried her eyes. "Um, Emma? Would you like to play "Patty Cake" with Bianca while I talk to Father?"

Emma nodded, walking over to her. "Of course," she said, picking up Bianca. "Come on, let's leave your sister and father alone for a few minutes." She stopped when she saw Kurt. "Don't worry; I forgave her a long time ago."

Kurt looked stunned. How did she know? Instead of asking her how she knew, he felt a small hand tug on his tail.

Bianca was giggling as the tail tried to get out of her hold.

"Kurt, stop picking on my sister," he heard Melanie's voice and stopped.

Emma and Bianca, who was still tugging on Kurt's tail, walked into the kitchen.

Melanie got up and looked at her father. Of all the people she'd have to apologize to, her father was the hardest. "Father?" Melanie tried not to break down again. "I'm really sorry for how I acted…" Her father, who had wrapped her in a hug, stopped her.

"It's all right, Melanie," he answered her. "I forgive you, and so do Emma and Bianca. We both know you never meant to say that."

Melanie hugged her father back, fresh tears falling from her eyes and falling onto his suit. "I'm so sorry."

Her father stroked her hair and patted her back. "Shh, everything's all right now, sweetheart."

Melanie swallowed a lump in her throat. "Father?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"If Emma makes you very happy," Melanie said, taking a deep breath, "then I'll be happy as well."

Her father continued to hold her. "Thank you, Melanie. That's the best Christmas present I could ever ask of you."

"Merry Christmas, Father," Melanie said to him.

"And you, too."

She suddenly felt a lot better. But then, she'd have to apologize to her Uncle Logan and the Professor, so she tried thinking the words. In the back of her mind, she heard the Professor and Logan tell her that it was all right and that they forgave her. Melanie smiled slightly. That is, until she saw Kurt come into the living room, on his hands and knees with Bianca on his back, holding onto his clothes, giggling. "Kurt, what are you doing?"

"Playing horsey with your sister," Kurt answered.

Bianca smiled happily. "Gidd-yap!"

Melanie smiled, for the first time that day, truly happy. Sure, she'd have to accept Emma into the family, but she knew it was an acceptation that she would love to have.

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((Well, this is another chapter done. Maybe now I can work on it a little more now. Anyway, don't forget to review.))


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